Baldwin a step closer to full-time fire protection

Baldwin a step closer to full-time fire protection

By LYNSIE BREAUX

For the first time ever the town of Baldwin took a step Tuesday night that may allow them to have a full-time professional fire department. And if Mayor Stan Totman has his way, the town is getting it's fire department at no cost.

The town council had the first reading of an ordinance Tuesday authorizing Totman to sign an interlocal agreement with the City of Jacksonville. This agreement will authorize Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department to man what is called a "brush truck" in Baldwin.

"For the first time in the town's history we'll have firemen in Baldwin acting as first responders 24-hours a day, seven-days a week," Totman said.

In order for the city of Jacksonville to provide the fire fighters at no cost, the town of Baldwin will have to assign certain taxes to Jacksonville.

"These are excise taxes on insurance companies that are already being collected," Totman explained. "But because we don't have a fire department here in Baldwin and we have never bothered signing an agreement with Jacksonville, this money has just been staying with the state."

When the city first started looking into the idea of hiring a full-time professional fire department the costs appeared to be prohibitive.

The previous administration had estimated that it would cost the town more than $1 million just to upgrade the existing fire department to meet union requirements.

In addition, the former mayor projected the annual cost of maintaining the fire department to be more than $500,000.

Totman stressed that the agreement for the town's fire department is not yet finalized and there are still details yet to be worked out.

"But I've been talking with (Mayor John) Peyton and Chief (Robert) White," Totman said. "And all we have to do is cooperate with Jacksonville."