Fire District #5

This month I am going to provide you with some information about our finances and budget for the year 2004.

From June 26, 2001 until December 31, 2003, our finances were managed by the North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Services (NWFRS) as part of an agreement with fire districts # 3 and #13. Effective December 31, 2003, the Point Roberts fire district # 5 terminated that agreement and left NWFRS. What that meant for the fire commissioners was that we needed to develop a system and hire employees to handle our finances. We would also begin to be responsible for managing the Wellness Clinic grant, as NWFRS had been the grant’s administrative accountant.

One of our first decisions was to hire a bookkeeper. Suzanne Kinsey was hired as bookkeeper, auditing officer and investment officer for the fire district. Suzanne has done an excellent job developing a system for managing the fire district’s monthly revenue and expenses and year to date record keeping.
The development of a working budget for 2004 was a best guess. Based on what our expenses are this year, we will have a better idea of what we need for different types of expenses next year. For 2004 we anticipate the following revenues (see table following).

We also apply for grant monies throughout the year. Application and management of grant monies is the responsibility of the fire chief and is often used for upgrade or replacement of equipment. We currently have $55,480 in a reserve account and $1,868 in a G.O. Bond account.

Some of our major line item expenses we have budgeted for this year include:
Salary for full time fire chief: $52,000
Benefits, Insurance, Retirement $11,575
Travel and Training for Volunteers $16,000
Operating Expenses—office, computer, small tools, protective clothing, uniforms, radios, medical supplies, internet and misc $14,000
Professional Fees - legal counsel, audit, medical exams $11,650
General Insurance $9,000
Repairs and Maintenance $12,000
In the past month we have purchased a new computer system and installed the Simply Accounting software program at a cost of $3,000 including software, web page, domain name registration and flat screen monitor.

I hope this helps the residents of Point Roberts understand more about our revenue and expenses. If there is a topic you are interested in hearing more about, please let us know.

Fire Calls
For the record: In April there were four illegal burns, one rope rescue of a dog, two Basic Life Support (BLS) calls and no one was transported to St. Joseph Hospital.

BACK TO TOP