Sun’s fire department will ask voters July 19 to approve a 10-year property tax for equipment upgrades and operational costs that would nearly double its annual budget.

The 20-mill tax, expected to cost Sun taxpayers $33 a year from 2008 to 2017, will pump $30,000 more a year into the department, said Gary Whitehead, fire chief of St. Tammany Parish Fire Protection District 10 in Sun.

“We’re keeping the doors open more or less,” Whitehead said. “But in order to grow we need to get more money.” Equipment upgrades top the list, he said, including a new tanker truck capable of holding 3,000 gallons instead of the 1,800 gallon now used, which during a large fire could be used in less than 15 minutes.

Whitehead also wants to replace the department’s newest fire engine truck, a 1986 model that needs repairs.

Most importantly though, is hiring a full time employee trained in firefighting and EMT fields, he said.

Because the department is all-volunteer, “sometimes the likelihood of someone being at a fire is slim,” he said. “We need someone there all the time.”

The request comes on the heels of a massive internal overhaul of the department that led to lower fire insurance costs for homeowners, faster response times and an ousting of its former administrative office.

Early this year, Sun firefighters received an upgraded fire rating from the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana, which slashed fire insurance rates by as much as 60 percent. The PIAL survey found sun firefighters had improved response times and fire fighting capabilities.

Fire Protection District 10, a 14-square-mile area in rural northern St. Tammany, covers roughly 800 residents.