Arlington Fire Department Seen as Template for Taxpayer Savings

The Arlington Fire Department is getting national attention for saving taxpayer money while keeping quality service.

In population, Arlington is the third largest city in North Texas and the seventh largest in the state, yet the fire department operates at the lowest cost to citizens in North Texas.

“We are the lowest cost per capita fire department in North Texas,” Chief Don Crowson said. “Per capita cost is the actual cost per citizen for their fire department’s services.”

Crowson said the cost is around $125 per person.

“Citizens should be proud of that because their fire department engages in a business model,” Crowson said. “We’re a government, yet we try and strive to be cost effective in their interests.”

Crowson said partnerships make all the difference in saving taxpayer money.

“The school district pays for 83 percent of the [pay of] lieutenant who manages the program and our instructors receive income from Tarrant County Community College to teach a two-year program to high school students that want to become firefighters,” Crowson explained.

“The Cowboys and the Texas Rangers pay for firefighter services,” Crowson explained. “We maintain control, but they pay for it and not the taxpayers.”

The department saves about $15 million every year by partnering with a private company to provide ambulance services.

Crowson said other departments are also taking notice.

“Many communities from across the country have visited with the Arlington Fire Department to investigate our business model because our business model is highly effective and very efficient in cost,” he said. “We walk or talk. Our numbers prove we are doing a good job.”

Crowson said efforts are always ongoing to be good community partners.

“We are constantly evaluating ourselves, [asking] are there better ways or more efficient ways to deliver the services we provide,” he said.