florissant valley fire district news

FLORISSANT VALLEY
FIRE DISTRICT NEWS
July 2014 Edition
LETTER FROM FIRE CHIEF - SCOTT SEPPELT
Like most public entities we have been hit by the down turn in reassessments of real estate and lower
reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid. Also our cost of doing business continues to increase.
(Medical supplies, fuel, cost of new equipment) Our 2014’s budget is projected to be almost a million
(1,000,000) dollars in deficit.
Because of this on August 5th there are two ballot proposals. Proposition E is a General tax increase of
$0.40 per hundred dollars assessed valuation to fund the operation of all three engine houses with a
total of six Firefighting/Advanced Life Support Vehicles. This will secure that the FVFPD will be able to
provide the highest trained Medical services available.
According to Zillow the average home value in the City of Florissant is $77,500. This proposed increase
will cost the average home in the Fire District $59 per year (less than $5 per month).
Proposition B is a NO TAX INCREASE $7.165 million bond issue. These funds can only be used for
fixed assets such as fire, medical, and rescue equipment. Bond money cannot be used for firefighter
pay or benefits. If these measures pass, we will be able to purchase a new fleet of ambulances, a new
pumper and balance our budget.
Together, we can continue to serve our community!
Thank You - Fire Chief Scott Seppelt
COMMUNITY
ACTIVITIES
The Florissant Valley Firefighters participate in many
public relation events on and off duty to help support our
community.
• TEAM Food Pantry – The firehouses are collection
sites for the Food Pantry and the Firefighters help on
a monthly basis to unload the food at the Pantry.
• Santa and his Sleigh visit different neighborhoods
and retirement centers in the district every year.
• Toys are collected prior to Christmas to help local
needy families.
• Thanksgiving Meals are prepared by the Firefighters
and taken to local needy families.
• The Firefighters collect for Muscular Dystrophy
every year and in just the last six years alone have
collected over $76,000.
Santa’s
Sleigh
2014
TRAINING DIVISION
The Florissant Valley Fire
Protection District is an
organization that prides itself on
being the most professional and
most prepared fire district in the
area. Our primary mission is to
be there for you, the citizen, and
to solve whatever problem you
may be having effectively,
efficiently and safely.
regionally and internationally
recognized for their expertise.
Many of our instructors assist
other agencies, conferences and
schools with fire and emergency
services training. With our vast
talent, we are able to bring in
students from other jurisdictions
for fee based training provided by
our fire instructors at our fire
district.
We are proud to boast a Training
Division that provides some of the
Finally, we have become a source
best training in the state and the
for bringing in some of the most
region.
recognizable fire service leaders
With new cutting edge technology in the country.
that is available, we can provide
We have been honored to be able
web based and video based
to provide the entire St. Louis
training that will allow units to
area with high quality, low cost
remain in their response area
conferences only available at the
more often during training
larger, more expensive
activities.
conferences.
Although technology can be very
expensive, we have developed a This provides our firefighters with
information from highly trained
system that has been
investigated by departments and and experienced instructors. This
districts, not only in the St. Louis creates an incredible opportunity
area, but nation-wide as a model for networking with other
for a cost effective solution for fire departments and creating
relationships that lends itself well
department training.
to sharing ideas and knowledge.
We have been able to seek and
find many free forms, or very low We welcome you to visit our
department website, or stop by to
cost, of technology that enhance
see more of what we do everyday
our training experience and is
to maintain proficiency for all of
fiscally responsible.
our Firefighters.
The Florissant Valley Fire
Protection District boasts
instructors who are locally,
CALL STATISTICS
The Florissant Valley Fire Protection District’s ambulances are consistently among the
busiest in St. Louis County. In the past 18 months, our ambulances have responded to 10,032
EMS calls, many of them requiring life-saving interventions by our paramedics. To emphasize
that point, our paramedics have obtained 18 clinical saves and delivered two babies in the
field.
COMMUNITY AED PROGRAM
As part of their philanthropic efforts, the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District is giving back
to the community donating AEDs to churches in the district that do not currently possess an AED
to better increase the public access to AEDs, which is strongly supported by the American Heart
Association. The district will also provide training to those persons in a position to use the AED.
“Everyone connected with the call was awesome. They were kind,
understanding, and had a calming presence about them…”
~District Resident
FLORISSANT VALLEY
FIRE DISTRICT
661 St. Ferdinand St.
Florissant, MO. 63031
Florissant Fire District Resident

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