Chiefland Fire Chief James Harris and city grant writer Belinda Wilkerson address Chiefland City Commissioners concerning three fire department grants.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Chiefland Fire Rescue has been shorthanded for some time but the manpower shortage doesn’t always leave the fire station empty.
The station was empty on Oct. 6 when a house fire broke out.
The fire occurred east of town along County Road 320 about a half-mile from the Wal-Mart Supercenter.
Firefighters had been dispatched earlier to an Emergency Medical Service call 9.4 miles from the station. They were forced to drive back to the station, switch to the fire truck and drive to the house fire.
“These are some of the things we have to deal with; the fire got a little further than it should, but we were able to put it out. The house is still standing and it can be fixed, but this is why we need extra people,” said Fire Chief James Harris.
The house fire occurred at 4455 NW 120th St. outside the Chiefland city limits. The EMS call took place at 11555 NW 110th Ave., also outside the city limits.
“Nobody was at the station. They come all the way back to the station, switched trucks and went to the fire,” Harris said. “The good thing about it, we had a good volunteer response. We had a volunteer down there real quick, but he had no equipment.”
The lack of firefighters was the primary reason Harris lobbied the city commission to establish a fire tax. The city passed the special fire assessment recently without opposition. It adds $129 to the tax bill of each homeowner. Businesses are taxed by the square foot.
Levy County Commissioners have levied a fire special assessment on homeowners outside the city limits for many years. The county gives some of the money from the $129 assessment to Chiefland Fire Rescue for firefighting outside the city limits.
City commissioners approved the creation of a new bank account to deposit revenues from the fire tax. Harris said the revenue will be used primarily to hire more firefighters.
The tax will generate about $170,000 annually.
Low-income people can apply for an exemption but no one has filed for the exemption yet.
Halloween Trick or Treating
Two weeks ago commissioners approved an Oct. 31 trunk or treat event to replace the traditional door-to-door trick or treating.
Commissioner Rollin Hudson asked if kids could still go door-to-door in Chiefland. He said parents had asked him about it.
Commissioners gave the green light to kids going door-to-door.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year.
Street Dance
Commissioners agreed to close off NW 3rd Ave. on Dec. 11 for a D&D Studios Inc., performance from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. They will also close off an adjoining side street.
Debbie Dean, owner of the dance studio, said the show will take place in the parking lot behind D&D studios. She said community members can park in the main parking area of Chiefland Shopping Center and walk to the show with lawn chairs to watch under the stars. The city will supply equipment to block off the streets.
Fire Grants
Commissioners agreed to accept a $41,167 firefighters’ assistance grant from the state to purchase five sets of turnout gear for the fire department.
The board also approved applying for a federal grant connected with COVID-19 response. The grant will be used to purchase gloves, gowns, and face masks. The city will give the equipment to Williston, which loaned personal protective equipment (PPE) to the city when it was hard to find.
Commissioners also agreed to apply for a state firefighters’ assistance grant to purchase additional PPE equipment for the department.
The grant writer for the city is Belinda Wilkerson. She wrote all three grants. Harris said Chiefland Fire Rescue is deeply indebted to Wilkerson for her grant writing skills and her ability to bring much-needed equipment to CPD.
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City of Chiefland October 12, 2020; Posted October 12, 2020
