Six fire stations close in Eddy County. No impact to service, officials say.

Consolidation of fire and emergency services in Eddy County allowed the department to shutter several fire stations without impacting services, said Eddy County Fire and Rescue Chief Joshua Mack.

Eddy County’s Board of County Commissioners Sept. 5 agreed to the closure of four fire stations in Carlsbad, one in Loving and one in Artesia. The fire stations in Carlsbad selected for closure are located at 4215 S. Spencer, 1930 Howard Road, 402 E. Derrick Road, 115 La Huerta. In Loving the fire station at 502 W. Elm Road will close, and in Artesia the one located at 89 Fire House Road.

The consolidation of services begin in May 2022, when Eddy County commissioners approved the expenditure of nearly $5 million to create a fulltime fire department for Eddy County, folding in what were once rural volunteer fire departments. The new fire department was structured with three sections, Mack said ― northern, southern and western ― to provide optimal coverage to areas once services by volunteers.

In a memorandum to commissioners Mack wrote the stations were chosen for closure based on evaluations it conducted in collaboration with the New Mexico State Fire Marshal’s Office.

“All stations to be closed were determined through an evaluation based on usage, need, location of preexisting stations and newly implemented staffing of personnel 24/7,” read the memo.

More: Eddy County welcomes Loving fire additions as calls for service increase in 2023

Fire stations would cost more to maintain, update than close

Most fire station operations are supported financially through the fire excise tax, funding which is managed and distributed through the State Fire Fund. When a fire department needs to replace equipment, construct or needs funds to operate it monies are allocated through that fund to the project.

Mack said the closure of the designated stations would save millions in taxpayer funds.

“We were able to reduce 21 apparatus ranging in replacement cost of $450,000 to $1.4 million. Then you have equipment cost that would be between $500,000 and $1 million based on current pricing which continues to increase. Then you have to account for building and property maintenance costs to maintain the building and parking lots,” Mack told Commissioners.

He said three of the six closing stations needed increased space, as those fire stations had meeting areas which required updates.

“Which would have cost us between $500,000 and $1 million based on other projects we have had quoted," Mack said.

Fire, emergency services not impacted

Mack said Eddy County Fire and Rescue (ECFR) used historical data to maximize coverage to areas within unincorporated portions of Eddy County, focusing on heavily populated areas and evaluating the number of emergency calls received from them.

It was all part of an effort to ensure that the Eddy County Fire Department could adequately respond to emergency calls.

Mack said Insurance Service Office (ISO) documents were reviewed at to assure maximized protection was provided to citizens of Eddy County. The ISO Fire Suppression Schedule evaluates four primary categories of fire suppression, according to the website ISO Mitigation.com: fire department, emergency communications, water supply and community risk reduction.

For areas where a fire station closure was designated, Mack said the department ensured other stations were located nearby.

In addition, he said, mutual aid agreements agreements between the City of Carlsbad Fire Department and City of Artesia Fire Department leave adequate fire and emergency coverage for those areas affected by the closures. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines mutual aid agreements as a means of jurisdictions to augment resources when needed for high demand incidents.

“Mutual aid agreements can support all mission areas; can be established before, during, or after incidents; and can be between all levels of government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector,” read a FEMA National Incident Management System Guideline for Mutual Aid.

More: Quicker emergency response times prompts formation of new fire districts in Eddy County

Finding volunteers a 'struggle'

Mack said Eddy County Fire Department strategically placed paid and volunteer firefighters to respond to emergency request full time, a change from previous struggles to staff volunteer fire departments scattered throughout the county.

A study conducted in 2020 by the National Firefighters Protection Association (NFPA) showed fire departments across the United States had undergone negative staffing changes since 2015.

The study noted fewer volunteer personnel were available during the day on weekdays than on nights and weekends.

Communities with populations from 2,500 to 9,999 had under 7 percent of the population for volunteer fire department calls. Data indicated the number of people increased on weekday nights and weekends, according to the NFPA study.

More: State reductions in fire funds a dangerous move

Mack said the number of volunteers in Eddy County was negatively impacted by reported changes in family demands and work requirements.

“An example for us is that a person is required to attend 240 hours of training in their first year to obtain certifications. Then they need to complete 20 hours of training a month moving forward. The training demand and then add in unplanned/unscheduled emergency response that always vary in time,” he said.

Mack said the County's fire department paid staff has assisted tremendously as the department is still growing and potential firefighters are completing training to obtain certificates and licenses.

“We are all constantly evaluating to see where we can improve the service we provide the community and looking for alternative ways to partner with the community to fill the need of the volunteer in alternative roles,” he said.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on X formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Eddy County closes six fire stations