BURRILLVILLE – The Board of Fire Commissioners for the Pascoag Fire District recently achieved a major goal, paying off a final vehicle in the department’s fleet to officially become debt free.
The district paid off Engine 42 – the fourth vehicle to become fully owned by the department in past five years.
Commission Chairman Chris Toti notes that PFD owed $1.4 million in debt on vehicles when he first joined the board in 2019.
“We’ve made a major accomplishment here as an organization,” Toti told NRI NOW this week. “We are now officially out of debt.”
Toti noted that the district now also has a five year plan in place to replace vehicles in the future.
“Everything will be paid for in cash,” he said. “The plan, going forward, will be to buy vehicles and avoid going to the taxpayer and bonding.”
That plan began, he said, when an old tanker was paid off and sold, followed by a ladder truck known as Tower 4. Most recently, PFD paid off two fire trucks, voting to pay off Engine 42 for an amount not to exceed $160,000 at their meeting on Monday, Dec. 23.
The district has also worked to consolidate vehicles, selling off unneeded equipment as demand increasingly moves toward EMS and rescue calls.
The chairman said that the change to the type of calls for service is due in part to stricter fire codes, such as the requirement that buildings have a sprinkler system.
“There are less and less fires, thankfully,” said Toti. “We have less vehicles now than we did five years ago, because you have to be efficient about fire service.”
Toti became chairman in his first year on the board in 2019 and held the position until last year, when Commissioner Butch Carter took the lead. Toti was renamed to the role by his fellow commissioners earlier this year.
He and a team that includes Treasurer Dennis Anderson have made financial health of the district a major focus, implementing plans and processes they say they hope will serve the village for many years to come.
“A lot of folks along the line have played a role in this,” Toti said.
The moves have allowed Pascoag to maintain a steady fire tax rate steady, he said, with the exception of an increase this year needed to fund settlement of a lawsuit brought by 14 firefighters over pay for volunteer shifts. The $279,000 pay off was approved by fire district voters in 2023.
“If that never happened, the rate would not have gone up,” Toti said. “It was an anomaly.”
The early vehicle pay offs, has saved the district some $75,000 to $80,000 a year in interest payments.
“That’s how we’ve been able to maintain a stable tax rate,” he said.
PFD is now on schedule to replace an engine next year, followed by a rescue two years from now.
“We’ll replace it with something a little bit newer,” said Toti. “We put money aside every year.”
He noted that such processes will keep the district in the green regardless of who ultimately serves on the board.
“If they follow these models, they’ll be in good financial shape,” Toti said. “It’s always about identifying the mission and utilizing three resources: time, money and people, in the most efficient way possible. We’re not going to spend money foolishly. We’re not here to take care of people’s friends or personal agendas.”
“As long as those are followed, I think there’s a good chance things are going to take care of themselves,” he added.
In the coming year, new initiatives in Pascoag, including an incentive program to entice volunteers, will aim to continue to cement a firm fiscal standing for the small village department.
Toti notes the efforts are all part of the balancing between needs and resources required to keep service at an affordable price for taxpayers.
“It’s not hard to do that,” he said. “You have to provide the best service that you can in the most efficient way.”
I just sent them a check for $700…they live better than me!