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W Annexation North Carolina cities are increasingly annexing parts of rural fire protection or service districts. In this case, the city must plan to provide the annexed portion of the district with all the major municipal services it provides (G.S. 160A -47). However, annexations decrease the tax base supporting the fire departments in rural districts. One solution is found under G.S. 160A -49.1, the city should make a general good effort to negotiate a five year contract with the rural fire department by paying the rural department the revenue that the district would have generated. This is only a brief overview of the results of annexation on fire protection in rural areas. County Comparisons Following is some information on how counties of similar to Orange County, in terms of square miles and population, provide fire services to their county.3 The descriptions here are based on information gathered from county websites and the county's fire marshal offices. The following descriptions of county fire services focuses generally on the number of fire districts and the funding of services; this is not a complete comparison of county fire services in North Carolina. A more comprehensive comparison may involve size of county fire districts, square mileage of a stations response area, and the type and acquisition of equipment, and county's insurance ratings. Orange County "8 volunteer fire departments within Orange County and two municipal fire departments provide fire and EMS first responder protection to Orange County's 12 fire districts. 2 departments in bordering counties provide fire and EMS first responder protection to Orange County. Orange County employs a full -time Fire Marshal, and Assistant Fire Marshal, a part -time Fire Marshal and a fire/EMS training coordinator. Each department elects its officers and is a member of the Countywide Fire Association. There are a total of approximately 250 fire department volunteers. 2 volunteer rescue squads provide emergency rescue services to Orange County. Most departments provide Basic Life Support (BLS) service. Each department elects its officers and is a member of the Countywide Fire Association. There are a total of approximately 75 rescue squad volunteers."'(Background, original Orange County Fire Assessment Plan Request for Proposal) The volunteer fire departments are State chartered, private, non -profit corporations that have contracts with the County to provide fire protection services. The fire districts are tax supported. The County collects the tax for each department and the Finance Director distributes the monies in accordance with the terms of the contract. Each district also has an insurance district for insurance grading purposes. The insurance districts are 5 mile districts at the present time; residents and businesses that are within 5 road miles of the fire station(s) within the district receive insurance premiums based on the rating of the district. Alamance County All of the county fire departments in Alamance County are a combination of volunteer and paid. There are 11 County fire districts with one department operating in each district. These departments may have substations within the district. In addition, the County has mutual aid 3 Except as noted, information was gathered from websites or direct contact (email or telephone) with the fire marshal's office in the respective county.