NOTICE OF SUBSCRIPTION-BASED SERVICE

The Haletown Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) is one of the most active departments in Marion County. Our department also covers the largest fire district in the county. The district includes more than 2,600 structures, 12 miles of RT24, a stretch of the Tennessee River and large areas of wooded forest. The department responded on a 7x24hr basis to 106 incidents last year. These included house fires, truck fires, passenger extrication at wrecks, brush fires, search and rescue for lost individuals, body recovery. EMT lift assists and clearing roads of fallen trees. The average age of our equipment is 10 years old and some trucks have over 100,000 miles of emergency use. The HVFD is staffed by 16 unpaid volunteers who earn their living at full-time jobs.

Your HVFD is funded by 5 sources. Historically the department receives only 60% of our budget from Marion County. The remaining 40% we get from friends of the department, area businesses, grants we apply for and a district Fire Service Subscription Program. This funding must cover our equipment purchases, insurance costs, all department maintenance, training certifications and monthly utilities. Our total budget averages $566 per incident call. These incident calls typically involve 6-10 people and 2-3 trucks. For comparison, the State of Tennessee has determined the the real operating costs for a correctly outfitted fire department. The state calculated costs are listed below:

$503 per hour for Fire Apparatus            Medivac Landing Zone Setup $502

$62 per Firefighter hour                            Hazmat incident $881 to $7,426 

Vehicle Incidents $546-to $760                Fire Investigation $346

Special Request Chief Response $315    Water Rescue $503 to $1,006 

Passenger Extrication $1,641                   Illegal Fires (No Permit) $503

         Read the state of Tennessee Study on Fire Services: HERE:

This highlights the HVFD operating budget is 1/3 the TN suggested level for a safe and effective department. We will always respond quickly when called but we can’t effectively protect ourselves or our community at this low funding.

The HVFD Board recognized 3 years ago that rising costs, the department’s increasing call volume and the complexity of modern fires were forcing us into a dangerous financial shortfall. In 2023, the HVFD Board approved creating a $35 per year “Fire Service Subscription Program” to help fill the funding gap.  This subscription does not only apply to your home. One $35 subscription a year per single family residential dwelling covers everyone listed in your home for any response in our area. That includes firefighting, water rescue, vehicle wrecks and fires, land rescue, and eventually medical response by fire personnel. Fire Subscription programs are becoming increasingly necessary to fund fire protection across TN and the country. One local example of a FD  subscription service is the Dallas Bay, TN fire district. The HVFD subscription program asks residents in our fire district for $35 per year to increase our funding and ability to respond effectively. We understand that in this time of economic hardship that a subscription fee may seem like an additional burden. That is why we have settled at a rate of $35 a year; the lowest subscription rate of any fire department in the state. 

Unfortunately, last year only 102 of our 2,600 residents paid their $35 subscription fee. Until more residents choose to subscribe to the $35/yr service, the HVFD Board has now approved the department billing residents for incident calls when the annual $35 subscription fee has not been been paid.  We do not want to bill residents. Please check your address to see if you are in our fire district and sign up for our subscription service. A map of our fire district can be found at: District Map. Pass the word to friends and neighbors to sign up for the subscription plan. A link to signup for the plan and payment of $35 can be found on our web page HERE:  HVFD is a 501(c) Private Non-Profit Organization.

Help us safely and effectively respond and avoid an expensive bill. An incident call bill can be thousands of dollars rather than a simple $35 subscription. Where residents have fire insurance, they are able to forward their bill for an incident call to their insurance company but they will be responsible for any deductibles. Where there is no insurance, payment of the bill is fully on the resident or vehicle owner. Unpaid bills will be sent to a professional collections agency for payment. 

Subscription Service is Not A Fire Insurance Policy

Commercial Properties

Commercial Properties will have their own itemized annual subscription

fee. Commercial Subscription rates will be $35 per structure 40 sq. feet to 4,000

sq. feet. Structures over 4,000 square feet will be $75 per structure per year. For

rental properties an additional rate of $15 per renting space per year shall be

included. Rental properties are listed as but not limited to full time and short-

term rental homes, apartment complexes, campgrounds, marinas, hotels, RV

parks, storage properties, etc. Government-owned properties are exempt from

subscription service and billing.

Property Owner(s) are liable for paying Subscription Fee

Billing of Dept Services is directed towards Commercial Property Owner(s)

We want to be clear that the subscription-based service is not fire

insurance. We will respond to every emergency as promptly as possible and will

render service and assistance to the best of our ability. Paying the subscription

exempts billing for the event by HALETOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT and Fire Recovery.

Haletown Fire Department is a 501(c) private non-profit organization led by

the Fire Chief and overseen by the financial board. The subscription is tax-deductible. Upon request, a full breakdown of financial spending is available. The board meets every second Thursday of the month at 5:30 PM CST at the Haletown Fire Hall. The board meeting is open to the public, and we would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. You may also email us at haletownvfd@gmail.com or reach us

through Facebook or our website.