Luna County adds to its volunteer fire dept.

In hopes of improving the county’s ISO rating for home owners, the Luna County Volunteer Fire Department recently welcomed the addition of new fire fighting equipment.

ISO is the Insurance Services Office rating that determines the range of homeowners’ insurance premiums based on how equipped and efficient fire departments operate in their respective communities.

LCVFD Chief Pablo Montoya sat with Captain Devin Zamora to explain three pieces of fire fighting equipment geared at lowering the ISO rating within the county.

“We are at a nine,” Montoya stated in regards to the LCVFD ISO rating. “A new engine and water tank may help bring us down to an eight or seven.”

An ISO of one represents a superior rating for public protection from fire-related dangers. A rating of 10 represents no recognized protection in that area.

ISO ratings are used by property insurance companies to set premiums for home owners.

The county’s addition of a 2023 Ferrara Pumper Truck adds a third engine to the county’s fleet of fire trucks. The new engine is well suited for structure fires and vehicle fires, carrying 500 gallons of water. It will be stationed at the Florida Volunteer Fire Station on NM 418.

The county purchased two Ford F-550 brush trucks in 2021 at a cost of $228,000 from Gross Receipts Tax. The trucks were added to the fleet to help respond more efficiently to rural brush fires.

The new pumper truck came in at a cost of $584,544. The county received $300,000 from a Fire Protection Grant it applied for this year and the remaining balance of $298,058.52 was paid from county fire GRT.

The county also added a water tank that has been situated at the Cookes Peak Volunteer Fire Station and is expected to significantly help the county’s ISO rating.

County Fire Captain Devin Zamora, left, and Chief Pablo Montoya. (Billy Armendariz/Deming Headlight)

The tank was paid for through a 2022 Fire Protection Grant and can store and supply as much as 40,000 gallons of water. It can also serve as its own fire hydrant with two pumps and will sit on a cement slab near a 20’ x 20’ pump house.

The diesel-driven tank is capable of delivering 500 gallons of water per minute.

“This primarily is set up for the safety of the citizens, but it will also help lower our rating, and that, in turn, will allow us to receive an increase of state money for fire protection in the county,” Montoya said.

The county also purchased a 2023 Cam-Am Defender side-by-side and a 7’x16’ trailer to haul the off-road vehicle. The trailer came in at $5,000 and the total cost for the side-by-side is $39,276.84.

“This will be a welcome addition to our search-and-rescue operations, as well as making us more accessible to areas of rough terrain,” Montoya told the Headlight.

This fiscal year, county officials will allocate $102,600 for pay-per-call money.

Montoya and the county are currently in recruitment mode for the volunteer fire department. “We are seeking to establish a nominal fee stipend program that will compensate members of our department that will help us improve training, competency, and recruitment and retention of our volunteers,” Montoya explained.

Volunteers who wish to participate in this program can fill out an incentive program application.“This is not an hourly wage rate of pay,” Montoya noted. “This is paid to the volunteer firefighters for their participation in department meetings, training and response to emergency calls.”

Participants will be required to fill out a W-9 form. They must also comply with monthly bunker gear inspections, SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) inspections and conduct at least one truck check per month, as assigned by a station captain.

Completed inspections must be documented and turned in to a station captain or battalion chief. Any inspection not completed or submitted will forfeit payment for the quarter.

The program fee rates are:

$20 per emergency call, while any call lasting more than three hours will grant an additional $20, not to exceed $630 per quarter unless approved by the fire chief.

One training/meeting shall be $10 per month.

Licensing and certification courses pay:

If a volunteer is going to operate apparatus weighing 26,000 pounds or more, they will require upgrading their New Mexico Driver’s License to a Class E within the first year in the department.

There is a one-time reimbursement fee of $18 to be paid to the volunteer.

“The department is currently understaffed, and that does not help our ISO rating in terms of having the manpower to protect Luna County from fire danger,” Montoya disclosed.

The department staff is at 14. “The staff I have right now is dedicated and dependable,” Montoya added. “More volunteers are needed. I would like to see 20 to 25 volunteers so I can rotate them on weekend calls.” The point is to not overwork his existing staff based on a shortage of manpower.

Billy Armendariz can be reached at [email protected]

For those interested in becoming a member of the Luna County Volunteer Fire Department: