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SUNSET — The fire department been a part of Sunset City for more than 60 years, but its future is uncertain.
Facing a budget shortfall, city leaders will soon vote on whether to say get rid of the fire department. At the same time, Interim Fire Chief Anthony Bott is pushing to transform his department from all-volunteer to part-time — a move he says would keep the community safe.
But it would also cost a lot more money.
Sunset Fire Department now has 36 volunteer firefighters. Increasing pay could raise the budget an extra $285,000.
That's a big part of the reason city council members are looking at annexation with a fire station located next to Clearfield City Hall — the nearest station run by the North Davis Fire District.
Bott suggested moving the fire station further from the Sunset could be risky.
"Anytime you increase time to any type of scene ... fires double in size every minute. The brain could only go without oxygen for four minutes," he said.
Still, city council member Chad Bangerter said there are other things to consider.
"We're getting more experienced people, better equipment and true, we might lax in the response time a little bit," he said.
Bangerter said the current fire department has outdated equipment, potential mold problems and staffing issues that caused them to shut these doors 25 times last year.
"As we've looked at the numbers and put numbers together, it's almost impossible for us to continue to maintain the type of service that Sunset would need to have a safe and quality type fire department in the city on its current budget," Bangerter said.
According to city estimates, annexation into North Davis Fire would mean a slight overall increase in taxes, but not near the amount of upgrading to a part-time staff at the current Sunset station.
A new fire station would eventually be needed to keep the department, and Bangerter said that could cost upwards of $1 million to build.
The city council is expected to vote on a decision Tuesday night.
"Whatever the decision is, I hope it's in the best interests of the citizens of Sunset," Bott said.
Contributing: Xoel Cardenas
