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Defending the Flame: The November Third Fire and EMS Ballot Mandate

Fire engine and ambulance outside a brick fire station with an American flag in autumn

On November third, twenty twenty-six, American voters will enter polling booths across the country to decide the operational fate, safety gear, and physical security of local emergency medical services and fire departments.

While national political races dominate headlines, local ballot referendums represent the most direct way citizens control first responder resources in their hometowns.

In recent election cycles, city halls have increasingly packaged fire and EMS needs into omnibus public safety proposals that dilute taxpayer dollars across multiple departments. Firefighters and EMS Fund applies a strict standard: fire and EMS-dedicated measures only. When you strip away generic public safety initiatives, five critical communities stand out. Together, they represent more than seven hundred twenty-eight million two hundred thousand dollars in voter-proposed funding dedicated exclusively to fire department operations, modern facility construction, and paramedic safety.14

Dallas County, Texas: Proposition A Public Safety Bond

Residents in Dallas, Texas, face a critical decision regarding the structural future of their fire and rescue department. Proposition A, which seeks to authorize a massive general obligation bond program, proposes a funding model designed to rebuild crumbling neighborhood firehouses and construct a state-of-the-art training facility to maintain rapid response times.1,2

Our firefighters and paramedics put their lives on the line every day

The city’s rapid expansion has placed an immense strain on existing stations, many of which were built in the mid-twentieth century and cannot physically accommodate modern, heavy-duty ladder trucks.3

Under Texas state law, municipal general obligation bonds require a simple majority of fifty percent plus one vote to pass.1 Although the state mandates that the ballot display a prominent property tax warning, city leaders confirm that robust commercial growth will absorb the debt-service requirements, leaving the local tax rate stable.1

The proposed bond program is authorized to raise four hundred forty-three million dollars for public safety facilities.1 The total repayment amount, including principal and interest based on current market conditions, is projected at six hundred twenty-nine million six hundred eighteen thousand one hundred eighty dollars over its duration.1

Additionally, the ordinance specifies that a substantial portion of the proceeds will build a joint police and fire training academy to replace obsolete, separate facilities, establishing long-term training excellence while protecting active firefighter wellness.5 If the bond fails, the city will be forced to delay critical firehouse reconstructions, leaving personnel to operate in outdated facilities that lack modern carcinogen ventilation and separate quarters for diverse crews.3

Maricopa County, Arizona: Question One Public Safety Bond

In Maricopa County, Arizona, the City of Mesa is experiencing one of the fastest population surges in the American Southwest, transforming quiet desert spaces into bustling industrial and residential hubs. As the city’s outer boundaries expand, paramedics responding from existing central firehouses face increasingly long drive times to reach new developments.11

To resolve these transit deficits, the Mesa City Council referred Question One to the November ballot.12 The general obligation bond would fund a modern joint safety training facility and secure property for future fire stations in high-growth sectors.13

The proposed one hundred fifty million dollar public safety bond is estimated to cost taxpayers an average tax rate of twenty-two and twenty-six hundredths cents per one hundred dollars of assessed property valuation.13 For a homeowner with an average assessed home value of two hundred fifty thousand dollars, this bond will cost roughly thirty-six dollars annually, or just three dollars per month.12

The bond will fund several major public safety projects designed to preserve rapid response standards.13 Specifically, forty-four million seven hundred thousand dollars will build a modern, sixty-nine thousand six hundred square foot joint safety training facility.13 Additionally, five million dollars is dedicated to acquiring land for two future fire stations in expanding outer neighborhoods, while ten million one hundred thousand dollars will upgrade critical emergency 911 dispatch networks.13 Under the leadership of Fire Chief Mary Cameli, the proposed investments will ensure that paramedics can keep travel times under life-saving limits.12

Spotsylvania County, Virginia: Question Three Public Safety Bond

The population of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, has rapidly expanded from a small rural community to a bustling suburban center of more than one hundred forty thousand residents. Despite this rapid growth, local firefighters are operating with aging training facilities and equipment designed for a much smaller community.6,7 Active-duty crews must practice rescue maneuvers in a structurally degraded “burn building” that has physically decayed from decades of live-fire heat, posing a serious safety risk to personnel.9

To address these deficits, the county is proposing a sixty-one million nine hundred thousand dollar public safety general obligation bond referendum.8 Spotsylvania County is one of only fifty-five counties nationwide to hold a perfect Triple-A bond rating from all three major rating agencies, guaranteeing the lowest possible interest rates on its borrowed debt.10

The bond will fund several critical emergency response projects across the county.8 Specifically, twenty-seven million two hundred thousand dollars will replace high-mileage fire engines, while eleven million two hundred thousand dollars will purchase modern ambulances.8

Additionally, eight million three hundred thousand dollars will build a new, fifteen thousand square foot Shady Grove Fire Station to slash emergency response times in western expansion zones.6,9 The remaining funds will construct an eight million three hundred thousand dollar logistics center, replace the crumbling two million nine hundred thousand dollar burn building, and provide three million dollars for life-saving paramedic gear.8

Arapahoe and Adams Counties, Colorado: Issue Three B Sales Tax and Bond

Located across both Arapahoe and Adams counties, the City of Aurora, Colorado, is experiencing historic residential and commercial growth. As subdivisions expand outward, firefighters face a massive backlog in priority infrastructure, including nine hundred million dollars specifically for public safety.16 Operating from outdated, mid-twentieth-century firehouses makes it difficult for crews to maintain rapid emergency response times in developing outer neighborhoods.17

To combat these capital constraints, Issue Three B asks voters to authorize a fifty-three million dollar dedicated public safety bond program.18 The bonds will be backed by a new, dedicated sales tax increase of sixty-four thousandths of one percent, which equates to just six and four-tenths cents on every one hundred dollars spent.15 This is the first time the city has asked voters to adjust the local sales tax rate for capital projects since nineteen ninety-three.16

The sales tax is projected to generate up to six million two hundred seventy thousand dollars in its first full fiscal year, spreading the infrastructure cost equitably among residents and non-resident shoppers.15 Under the direction of the City Council, thirteen million seven hundred thousand dollars of the bond proceeds will build a brand new, state-of-the-art Southshore Fire Station Nineteen to serve expanding communities near Smoky Hill and Powhaton roads.15 The remaining funds will renovate older neighborhood stations and physically expand the Aurora911 emergency dispatch center.15

Lake County, Illinois: Station One Replacement Bond Referendum

In Lake County, Illinois, the Village of Lake Zurich is operating its primary emergency services out of a crumbling, volunteer-era firehouse built in nineteen eighty.21 Over the past four decades, the department has transitioned to a professional, full-time career agency serving more than forty-four thousand regional residents.21 However, the aging station bays are physically too small to fit modern, heavy-duty rescue apparatus, forcing the department to store life-saving vehicles outdoors during the freezing Illinois winter.22

At the same time, the outdated building lacks proper decontamination zones, allowing toxic exhaust and carcinogens from soot-covered gear to seep directly into firefighter living quarters.21 Because career firefighters face a nine percent higher risk of cancer diagnosis and a fourteen percent higher mortality rate than the general public, replacing this facility is a matter of life and death.21

To address this funding gap, the Village Board placed a twenty million three hundred thousand dollar bond referendum on the upcoming ballot.22 If approved by a simple majority, the bond will construct a modern, twenty-seven thousand square foot fire headquarters on Route twenty-two.21

For the owner of an average-valued home of four hundred fifty thousand dollars, this costs about one hundred eighty-nine dollars annually—or roughly sixteen dollars per month.21 The general obligation bonds will be repaid over twenty years, with interest rates legally capped at seven percent, ensuring long-term fiscal transparency while providing firefighters with a safe, carcinogen-isolated workspace.23

A National Call to Action for First Responder Support

Our firefighters and paramedics put their lives on the line every day to protect our families and defend our communities. On November third, twenty twenty-six, voters hold the direct power to stand with them at the ballot box. These municipal elections represent a crucial turning point, showing how communities must repeatedly intervene to bypass restrictive tax caps, replace failing infrastructure, and maintain localized emergency medical services.14

Supermajority rules in many states mean that simple majorities can result in defeat. High voter turnout is essential to protect these critical public safety budgets. Visit Firefighters and EMS Fund to sign the twenty twenty-six Pledge to Vote, download our complete voter guide, and ensure your local fire and EMS department has the resources, facilities, and backup it needs to keep our communities safe.14

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