Regionalizing Fire Services and Breaking home rule

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Permalink Reply by Barry Greer on March 5, 2011 at 7:57pm

Regional fire service is long overdue in many places in the country, especially on the East Coast where fire district boundaries that date from the colonial era make no sense any longer.  Camden County, New Jersey is a prime example.  Some fire departments cover a square mile in Camden County due to a crazy quilt pattern of local governments.  Things aren't much better across the Delaware in suburban Philly.  And the solutions are easy to find from Baltimore County and Prince Georges County to LA County.  Nine local governments in the west Portland, Oregon suburbs organized into Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue with a single administrative structure.  The cities of Eugene and Springfield, Oregon have recently combined into a single, three battalion fire department with one administrative structure.  It can be done, and needs to be done for better delivery of emergency services with a considerable reduction in redundant overhead administrative costs without the loss of firefighter personnel.

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Permalink Reply by Todd Jennings on March 11, 2011 at 4:11pm

I agree totaly.  We have to look at the big picture, the people in our cities.  The problem we have here is that all the chiefs dont like that because they have their own little kingdome.  They dont want to give up controll.  That is not the attitude to have.  Why not call for help or combine resources.  That is free manpower and equipment.  So once again WHY NOT!!!!!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Barry Greer on March 11, 2011 at 6:08pm

Todd, you put your finger right on the political problem, and the Eugene-Springfield merger happened with a three year plan that took full effect when the Springfield chief retired.  Other political solutions are possible from either the ground up through approval by the voters or from the top down as in Stamford, Connecticut, where the city government said enough was enough with competing volunteer companies that caused confusion about who covered what in the city and in the adjacent suburbs.  Camden County, New Jersey officials are now looking at regional department solutions used elsewhere, which is a first step. The alternative is doing nothing, which assures that nothing will be done, especially if the grandfathered vested interest of a local chief, as you said, usurps the interests of the public for better fire service at a price taxpayers can afford.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Whitaker on March 12, 2011 at 8:51am

The small and middle sized urban departments cannot ignore consolidation in the current economic environment. The efficiencies created cannot be questioned. We cannot continue to operate like we have. The balance of desire for home rule with cost control through consolidation can be met through strong governance which require political leadership.

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