Question: There use to be no charge for fire service why are we now being charged for it?
Answer: Yes there use to be no charge for fire service in the Newalla Fire District. We were actually maintained by Oklahoma County, they paid for our utilities, fuel for the trucks, and general maintenance for the trucks. The county was receiving no compensation from the citizens for those services so in July 1, 2016 the County was no longer funding the operation of the department. This left us with 3 options: 1. form a title 19 fire protection district (which would levy property taxes) 2. form a title 18 fire department (subscription based fire department) 3. Allow the department to close. We did try to form a title 19 fire protection district but kept having set backs with the process with the county offices. With time and funding running out we went the second option which is the title 18 fire department.
Question: Why cant we just let some other agency take over the fire district?
Answer: Short answer we could. We could let other agencies adsorb the district but with no actual fire station with in 5 road miles from your house your insurance company would look at that as there was no fire department and thus your fire insurance would be extremely high.
Question: Is this a common practice to pay for fire protection service?
Answer: Yes it is actually very common in other parts of the state that are not close to major cities. There are actually several towns and cities that charge for fire response outside of their limits. Here are some links to the state statutes for title 18 fire departments https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=66962, https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=66963
Question: Im interested in volunteering how do I get started?
Answer: We are always looking for new members to join our team. We suggest that you stop by the station on one of our work night, or meeting nights to ask questions and pick up an application to see if it is something that you would be willing to comment to.
Question: What happens if I dont pay for services rendered?
Answer: Most insurance companies will pay a certain amount for fire response. The remaining balance will be the responsibility of the property owner. All invoices that are not paid could be turned over to a collection agency for payment.
Question: What does the money go towards that is collected from membership dues:
Answer: The money that is collected from membership dues goes directly towards the operational funding of the dept, Utilities, fuel, vehicle insurance, vehicle maintenance and for the upkeep or replacement of firefighting gear and equipment.
Question: I’ve tried to contact the department by calling the number listed it seems like no one ever answers the phone, how do we get in contact with you if we have questions or want to burn?
Answer: While we strive to be very responsive to all questions asked either by phone or via social media we can’t always be at the station or watching social media. Most people don’t realize that we are a 100% volunteer fire department and that we all have full time jobs and family commitments outside of the department. As always if its an emergency please dial 911 first. If you need information on burning you can always contact our dispatch at 405-869-2501 and they can help you or get you in touch with one of our members.