- February 5, 2025
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Though still divided on the issue, the Port Orange City Council included four line firefighters and a fully-equipped transport unit into the city’s budget.
Mayor Don Burnette did not like pushing overall property tax limits, however his vote was the deciding factor in adding another unit. The final vote was 3-2.
“We’re looking at a program that we’ve never done or executed, and when we start it, we have to get it right, and things we don’t anticipate, we have to fix because everything will build off that,” he said.
Port Orange Fire Chief Ken Fustin said an additional unit in the city would reduce wear and tear on existing units. He said an additional unit also would give the department, which is minimally staffed, some breathing room.
When asked if he could operate a transport with two or three firefighters, he said the department would be “doomed” if he forced firefighters to work overtime.
Data provided by Volusia County showed that response times at the city and county levels were below the national average of nine minutes. Port Orange units responded within five minutes, and county units responded within seven. However, “outlier” response times averaged 20-30 minutes.
Councilman Bob Ford said adding an ambulance in Port Orange was a Band-Aid solution to a bigger problem. To make the system more efficient, the county's existing units could be placed more effectively to improve response times, even for outliers. Also, more work should be done to distinguish emergencies from non-emergencies.
“People are using the EVAC and ambulance system as a cab service to their doctor, and that’s not appropriate,” he said.
Councilman Scott Stiltner said a fire-based response system would be more efficient, cost-effective and save more lives. He said the ambulance issue will be an evolving one, and adding a unit would be a good first step.
Though the overall property tax increase reached 12%, Councilman Drew Bastian said Port Orange still is in the bottom third of what surrounding cities pay for services.
“I’m not interested in reducing services,” he said. “I’m interested in giving department heads and public safety what they reasonably asked for, which was not outlandish in any way, so they can do their job the way they see fit.”
Councilmen Ford and Chase Tramont said the tax increase will be damaging.
Ford said the city has run well on living within its means.
“We will drive poor people and those on fixed incomes out of Port Orange,” he said. “We don’t mean to, but under the guise of ‘everything has to be perfect,’ we will gradually make a mess of it, and it’s a shame,” he said. “If we’re not moderate, we will destroy paradise.”
Tramont said though he doesn’t like saying no, this is not something residents asked for. He said many, including himself, will be negatively impacted.
“I live paycheck to paycheck, and I don’t have money to buy my own house,” he said. “I’m going to be crushed as a renter.”
