HENDERSON (KTNV) — If you live in the City of Henderson, the people who come to your aid when you need it the most are asking for your support this election.
It will cost you, but the fire union president said it's an investment in public safety that will pay dividends for the growing community in the long run.
Henderson voters will vote on whether or not to authorize a new tax initiative that would benefit the Henderson Fire Department by reducing fire and EMS response times.
Henderson Fire Dept. Ballot Question 1
This is the question you'll see on your ballot:
Shall the City of Henderson be authorized to levy an additional property tax of $.06 per $100 of assessed valuation for a period of 30 years, commencing July 1, 2025, for the purpose of improving public safety by reducing the response times, including for emergency medical services, of the Henderson Fire Department? A YES vote authorizes up to $27,500,000 of general obligation bonds to be issued for the purpose of construction of new facilities and modernizing existing facilities and will generate additional revenue to be used to support the operations, maintenance, personnel and equipment needs of the Henderson Fire Department.
The total levy is estimated to result in an increase in property taxes of an average of $21 per year for the owner of a new $100,000 home. If approved, any property tax levied as authorized by this question would be exempted from the tax cap provisions established by the legislature in the 2005 session.
How much have response times grown?
I obtained data showing how much response times have grown in Henderson in recent years.
According to city fire officials, the average annual EMS response time increased by 36 seconds from 2019 to 2023, and the annual average fire response time went up by 13 seconds in that time frame.
In 2023, the annual average EMS response time was 9 minutes and 13 seconds, while the National Fire Protection Association recommends an EMS response time of 6 minutes and 30 seconds. The annual average fire response time was 9 minutes and 20 seconds. The NFPA recommends a fire response time of 6 minutes and 24 seconds.
WATCH | Here's how the Henderson Fire Department plans to use new technology for fires in the valley
Fire Chief Scott Vivier, while newly sworn in as the city's top fire official, is very familiar with these challenges — he's been with HFD for more than 2 decades. He said he's seen a lot of growth both in the community and in the department, but they're having difficulty keeping up.
"When I started in 2000, we had four stations. And today, fast forward 24 years later, we opened our 13th station. It's in a temporary location in west Henderson, and in that time, our call volume has doubled several times over," Vivier said.
He attributes the growth in call volume to not just more residents, but more people aging in place. He said fall calls in particular have grown among seniors.
Some of the areas that have seen the largest call volume growth include:
- District 84 (Station 84) – call volume increased by 32% over the past five years, with total calls reaching nearly 6,000 calls. This is the Old Green Valley area.
- District 98 (Station 98) – call volume increased by over 27% in the last five years topping 5,000 calls. This is the area around Coronado High School.
- District 99 (Station 99) – call volume increased by over 40% in the last five years, at nearly 4,000 calls. This is the Anthem area.
And while critics of this ballot initiative might look at Henderson Fire's various awards and accreditations and wonder why officials say they need more resources, Vivier told Channel 13 his department is at its limit.
"We never want to be doom and gloom but we do know that over the next five years, we have $70 million in identified needs today, and if these additional resources aren't available, we will have to grow in a slower and more strategic fashion, making really tough choices with the limited resources we have about what we implement," Vivier said.
He said they don't just use national benchmarks to guide their goals, but they also compare their response times to cities like Plano, Texas, which has a similar size, accreditation status, staffing, and response time reporting methodology — and Vivier said Henderson's numbers are trending in the wrong direction.
"We are falling behind in the benchmarks. There are other communities that are able to provide the same services at a faster response time and that's where we want to get to," Vivier said.
If approved, how exactly would your taxpayer money be used?
If a majority of Henderson voters vote in favor of this tax initiative, you may be wondering how exactly that money would be used.
Critics of this tax initiative have asked if other sources of revenue can be found or if other moneys can be reallocated to help HFD reduce response times. The fire chief said budgets are tight, departments are competing for a piece of the pie, and unlike other agencies, HFD doesn't have other revenue streams it can tap into.
I asked the fire chief, "People of course want to know the tangibles, what exactly would that money be going towards? So when you talk about additional resources the fire department would need, what exactly do you mean?"
"That's a good question," Vivier replied.
"Currently, we're funded 100% out of our general fund from the city, and we compete against 16 other departments that have needs as well to support a vibrant city. Unlike other public safety agencies that have other revenue streams that go to them, this would be the first for us. We would be able to use it to make investments into our stations, to continue to buy equipment, to add additional resources, and to do some of those other programs, like a fall prevention program."
The president of Henderson Professional Fire Fighters, the local fire union, said if this tax initiative is approved by voters — in anticipation of that extra funding — they're ready to quickly implement changes in areas where they're needed the most, like the Old Green Valley area, where the call volume at Station 84 has grown by about 32% between 2019-2023.
"An example of how that's going to increase our ability to get to you, we had an academy scheduled for starting in October. That has been pushed back to December, the difference between 14 cadets and up to 40 cadets. We will, as quickly as we can, staff two additional rescue companies in our busiest fire districts, one is district 84," said union president Daniel Pentkowski.
While being a first responder is all about reacting rapidly, Pentkowski said this ballot question is about being proactive about the growth the city will continue to see.
"It allows us to get ahead of those response times versus chasing them. If we can do that with the support of the tax initiative, we will be able to address it. Otherwise, we are going to be in a crisis, and that will be twice as hard to correct five years from now," Pentkowski said.
