The Fate of the MBVFD
A Strategic Shift for Our Town
In August of 2024, the Indialantic Fire Department ended the Automatic Aid Agreement for reciprocal service between their fire department and our hometown MBVFD.
They are no longer automatically coming to our aid; we are currently operating on our own. Because of this change, our volunteer department is struggling to meet the recommended response time and staffing recommendations outlined by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association).
We have a serious challenge with the current volunteer only structure. More than 30% of our current volunteers are over 60 years old. Many of the volunteers have already given 15-20 years of service and are approaching the point where they may want to retire and do something else with their lives. The gap between those that are in training now and those who have many years of service is wide. The younger volunteers have less time to devote to the fire department with the daily demands of work and home life. Overall, less people are interested in becoming volunteer firefighters. Please understand, this is a nationwide issue not unique to the Town of Melbourne Beach.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
The Town of Melbourne Beach is considered a “Dense Urban Community” by NFPA standards. Urban density is the number of people living in a particular area. Even though we think of ourselves as a small town, our population in relation to our land mass shows that we have a lot of people packed into a small area. More people = more potential for fire and other emergencies.
Keep in mind that the 1.4 square miles of the Town of Melbourne Beach includes coastal areas that are underwater. The land mass is actually 0.99 square miles, which contains more than 3200 residents.
Fires do happen in the Town of Melbourne Beach. Most people only realize that a fire has occurred when it becomes a major incident with total or partial building loss. Thankfully, many fires are able to be extinguished quickly before they become a fire that makes news headlines. The most recent fire in the Town of Melbourne was a small cooking fire contained to the stove in April of this year. The most recent fire in our Town with large structural damage was in March of this year.
Modern fires burn differently. This is in large part due to the increase of electronics, lithium ion batteries, and synthetic materials found in most homes. Fires double in size every 30-60 seconds, and burn up to 8 times faster reaching hotter temperatures than in the past. This means that firefighters have less time to rescue victims and stop fires before they get out of control.
Please watch video This video demonstrates how quickly a fire can completely engulf a room within minutes after a cell phone lying on the bed bursts into flames.
A Simple Outline for a Complex Decision
We have created a chart highlighting the most important points to consider. Chief Brown has reviewed the information for accuracy. You can see by the attached chart that our financial commitment as taxpayers will be approximately the same if we select either the County or the Town Hybrid model.
This chart simplifies the financial and service comparisons.
Truth and Accuracy Matter, LLC supports the Melbourne Beach Hybrid model as it provides improved services and allows the Town to financially control the Department and retain the numerous community events that will keep our small town charm alive and well.
Chief Brown has provided his presentations from the last two meetings where he presented the following:
First meeting: Chief Brown presents a briefing for a better understanding.
Chief Brown presents the Data, Statistics and Options for the Melbourne Beach Volunteer Fire Department