Miami-Dade’s firefighters deserve fair funding — and so do residents | Opinion

No matter who you are, where you live, or what you do for a living, when you dial 9-1-1 in an emergency, you expect one thing: help will come quickly, with the right people and the right equipment to save lives. That expectation is not just reasonable — it’s a fundamental promise of public safety. But today, that promise is at risk.

The Miami-Dade mayor’s proposed 2025–2026 budget undermines Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) by diverting funds away from the very communities that rely on us most. Specifically, the budget raids fire district ad valorem tax funds to pay for countywide air rescue services and the debt on new helicopters. On its face, this may sound like an accounting shift. In reality, it’s a reversal of more than 40 years of precedent — and it threatens the quality and reliability of emergency response for millions of residents.

For decades, the costs of air rescue have come from the countywide general fund, ensuring every resident contributed fairly to services that benefit the entire county. But under this proposal, only residents inside the fire district will foot the bill. That means communities like Coral Gables, Key Biscayne and Miami Beach — wealthier municipalities outside the fire district — get full use of air rescue without paying a dime for it. Meanwhile, working-class families inside the district are forced to shoulder the entire burden. That’s not only unfair taxation, it’s a betrayal of public trust.

In 2019, when Miami-Dade purchased new helicopters, the county pledged that debt service would be paid from countywide revenue. To now turn around and shift those costs onto fire district taxpayers is a broken promise and very likely a violation of the county charter, which requires fair and equitable taxation. There is nothing fair or equitable about a budget that makes some residents pay for services everyone receives.

The consequences aren’t just theoretical. Every dollar stripped from the fire district is a dollar that cannot be used to upgrade our lifesaving equipment and resources. MDFR’s own accreditation data shows we are already behind on critical needs, more than 36 engines, ladders, rescues and boats. These are not luxuries. They are essential to meeting the response times and safety standards you expect and deserve.

The reality on the ground is sobering. In 2024, MDFR’s average response time was 9.15 minutes — already above every safety standard in existence. Delays of even a single minute in cardiac arrest, house fires or vehicle accidents can mean the difference between life and death. And yet, by raiding the fire district budget, the county is virtually guaranteeing that dangerous shortfalls of fire engines and rescue trucks and insufficient water supply in some areas will persist — and worsen.

This also puts the men and women on the frontlines in greater danger. Firefighters cannot safely or effectively do their jobs without the right staffing, the right equipment and the right backup arriving quickly.

The solution is simple and fair. The county must restore the prior funding practice and pay for air rescue and helicopter debt service out of the countywide general fund — as has always been done. The funds that were removed from the district in last year’s budget must be returned. And most importantly, the ad valorem revenues collected for fire rescue must be protected for their intended purpose: maintaining and enhancing the lifesaving capabilities of MDFR.

Our firefighters are ready to respond 24/7, 365 days a year. But readiness is not automatic; it requires investment, planning and accountability. Miami-Dade cannot afford to balance its books on the backs of its fire rescue system. Public safety should never be treated as a line item to be shifted around.

The people of Miami-Dade deserve a fire rescue system that is properly funded, fully equipped and ready to respond when it matters most. Anything less is not only short-sighted — it’s dangerous.

For the sake of fairness, for the safety of our families, and for the future of Miami-Dade, it’s time to do the right thing: restore the funding, honor the commitments, and protect the public trust.

William McAllister is president of the Metro-Dade Fire Fighters Union Local 1403.