The Immokalee Fire Control District is generally in compliance with statutory requirements related to special district administration. However, the district stopped submitting data to the state’s Florida Fire Incident Reporting System, which the Division of State Fire Marshal uses to analyze incident and response trends.
District firefighters met most state qualifications during the review period. District incident volume increased during the same period, while the number of personnel remained constant, resulting in an increased workload for each firefighter. District operations and Collier County emergency operations overlap and are complementary. The district relies on county agencies for dispatch and emergency medical services (EMS) within the district, and the district supports the county EMS system by providing non-transport response capabilities and Basic Life Support medical services.
The district considers some national standards for timeliness and the number of personnel responding to incidents to assess performance, but it does not meet these standards, and the district’s insurance rating worsened over the review period. Further, the district has not evaluated local stakeholders’ perceptions of district performance.
During the review period, district expenditures totaled $44 million, exceeding $41.2 million in total revenues. Moreover, during the review period, staffing and facilities did not meet the district’s reported needs. The district has developed a five-year plan for future resource needs, but district representatives expect not to be able to fund those operational goals with current revenue streams.
OPPAGA recommends the district board take a number of steps to improve performance monitoring and administrative accountability.
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