May 23--MIDDLETOWN -- After several months of an in-depth look of fire department operations, the city's vice mayor said it's time to move on.
Since August 2012, there have been three council work sessions to discuss the operations of the city's fire department. Vice Mayor Dan Picard said despite hundreds of hours of staff time spent reviewing options, "I have not heard of any cost-saving measures and are implemented feasibly."
"I think it's time for this discussion to come to an end," he said. "If we're having this discussion because the city is short of money this year and we're looking at cutting everybody back, then that's fine. I'm always in favor at looking at cost-saving measures. But if that's the motivation for what we're doing here, then this discussion needs to take place as part of the budgetary process and not this continuing attack on the fire department."
In April, administrators with the Middletown Division of Fire presented various potential cost-saving fire department models, which included converting half the shifts to be filled with part-time firefighters, responding to the first emergency that is called in, and having dispatch conduct initial triage of calls. They also discussed a possible levy, although voters approved last year a renewal of a 0.25 percent income tax levy to supplement the police and fire department budgets.
The discussions were to find out if the city money without negatively impacting services.
More than 90 percent of the fire department's $9.2 million budget pays for the 78 firefighters and one administrative assistant. The department staffs 16 firefighters per day.
"Not one of those (options) does that," said Bob Nichols, president of IAFF Local 336. "It does not save any money, substantial amount of money, with the startup costs."
He said if the city would consider a levy it would violate the trust of the citizens.
"The citizens have trusted us," Nichols said. "How can you ask people to stand behind you. It's not even been a year and we're talking about cutting us, and not just cutting us but taking us back to the stone age."
Councilman Joe Mulligan said the topic "is difficult," but was "happy we put the time and effort in" with having the work sessions.
"The hard part comes in how do we pay for (the department) now and in the future," he said.
"Now is an appropriate time to try to figure out is this the best way to do business and is there any other method out there that would help us keep a professional fire department," Mulligan said. "I recognize the makeup of our community, and I would respectfully ask staff and council too keep an open mind about what's possible and we'll work through those budget solutions when we get there. But I'd rather do it now than doing in the crunch of budget time."
After the meeting, Picard told The Journal the review of the fire department had been prompted by a couple of council members, who he would not identify, and "prodding from several prominent citizens" who believe the department is too large with too little to do.
"The public has this perception of the fire department that these are guys that sit at the fire house all day, sleep all night and drive to Marsh to pick up their lunch. And that's obviously that's going on," Picard said. "They're extremely busy."
Since 2008, the department has been called at least 9,700 times, with calls for service exceeding 10,000 in 2011 and 2012.
"I've been on council for 3 1/2 years now and I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people criticizing our fire department, mostly from people within the city and people on this council. And it boggles my mind," he said.
The fire union, IAFF Local 336, is ready for the discussions to move on, too.
"This committee was formed to see how the fire department was doing. Chief (Steve) Botts was assigned the task to comparing us to like cities ... and we came out smelling like a rose," Nichols said. "We do it better and cheaper than anybody else."
Council will be holding the first of its budget meetings Tuesday evening at the city building in council chambers.
Copyright 2013 - Middletown Journal, Ohio
