August 11, 2005

Departments all struggle to maintain staff

       As Johnson County grows in population, so does the need for fire protection.  The number of calls has increased by 3 to 13 percent among the county’s departments. In response, the four fire departments that serve a majority of Johnson County residents are spending millions on new stations, have hired more than 50 firefighters this year and are exploring how they can expand to meet growing populations.  But it’s not enough, say fire department administrators.  Departments are struggling to maintain adequate staffing levels, compete with other departments in terms of salaries and provide service to more residents and businesses.  “You can have all the fancy trucks and big stations you want; but if you’re not staffing, it doesn’t matter,” said Bargersville division chief Mike Pruitt. “It’s a smokescreen, and you’re providing a false sense of security.”  More stations are needed to keep response times near the national standard of 4.2 minutes, but staffing the vehicles and buildings is the top priority.  “Everyone needs to understand that we have to grow as the community does,” Greenwood fire Chief Steve Dhondt said. “It’s critical. You can’t grow without providing these core services.”

         Greenwood has the largest fire force in the county with 116 people, 89 part-time and 27 full-time firefighters and paramedics. The department hired five career workers this spring and 20 part-timers in June, Dhondt said.  Response time is four minutes or less in most areas of the city, except for east of the interstate, where it is five to seven minutes, Dhondt said.  A new fire station planned for the northeast corner of Graham Road and Main Street will cut response times there, the chief said.  “That is enough for now,” Dhondt said. “… But we’ll probably need another station somewhere in the next 10 years.”

         White River Fire District has bought land for a new station to replace one of its three stations, but officials are already looking ahead at another station.  “Three stations aren’t going to do it,” deputy chief Scott Cassin said. “Growth is what we’re always dealing with, and only four is going to get us close to meeting those objectives.”  He added, “The northwest and southwest corners are where we need to go next.”  The department has 90 firefighters and paramedics and the highest budget, $4.9 million, of any county fire department. But response times are slightly higher than the standard, Cassin said.  The department hired about 20 full-time firefighters last year and is exploring operating its own ambulance service.

        Bargersville is converting to a career, full-time department, Pruitt said.  “Having career staffing will give us more stability,” he said. “It’s a more expensive way to go, but that’s what most departments are going to now to keep service up for residents.”  Bargersville has hired Jim Thompson as the full-time chief and will hire three battalion chiefs and three captains in the next weeks, Pruitt said.  The department struggles to keep young firefighters who are starting out in the field and need experience, he said.  “They want to get training and move on to a career department,” Pruitt said. “We can only do so much to keep them here as long as possible.”  A new station is under construction, which means more firefighters will need to be hired, he said.

         Franklin has historically been the only career department in Johnson County, but it has had problems with staffing, too.  Michael Herron resigned as chief this month and resumed a position within the ranks. He expressed concerns about not being able to get adequate personnel and equipment for the department and delays in building a new fire station for the city’s north side.  His deputy chief, Jim Reese, was appointed to replace him and is already trying to address those concerns.  Franklin’s department has four openings to add to its 49-member force, Reese said. Three firefighters recently moved to other departments in the Indianapolis area and another retired.  Reese plans to ask the city to pay for six new firefighters in next year’s budget, Reese said.  “We’re multi-tasking now when it comes to making runs,” he said. “If we dedicate all our people to a fire, we need to have others come in and cover for medical runs.”  Response times are three to five minutes in most areas of the city. But north of the Wal-Mart on U.S. 31, response times are seven to 10 minutes, Reese said.  He is working with the city and Franklin school district to use three acres of land on Branigin Road to build a new station, Reese said. He does not know how much a station would cost or when it could be built, but he said that area of the city must have its own protection.  “Three stations can handle what we need to do now, but it’s only a matter of time before the east side is needed,” Reese said.  “But we need to staff our fire stations. That’s our challenge. That is never going to change because we’re always growing, and there’s only so much money to go around.”  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)
 

           
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Franklin	Greenwood	Bargersville	White River Township
Size: 22.5 square miles, 20,000 people Budget: $3.2 million Tax rate: 63 cents per $100 assessed valuation Staff: 46 firefighters and paramedics and three administrative positions Calls: 3,000 in 2004, an increase of 57 percent in the past five years. Stations: Station 21, U.S. 31 and Main Street, built in 1974; Station 22, Hamilton Avenue and Forsythe Street, built in 1998 New station: Wants to build a third fire station on the northeast corner of the new high school site on Branigin Road on the city’s north side. Response time: 3-5 minutes in central areas of city, 8-10 minutes on far north side	Size: 25 square miles, 45,000 people Budget: $3.2 million Tax rate: 19 cents per $100 assessed valuation Staff: 89 part-time, 27 full-time Calls: 4,020 in 2004 Stations: Station 91, headquarters, at 155 E. Main St., built in 1991; Station 92, 1244 W. Fry Road., built in 1977; Station 93, 255 W. Stop 18 Road, built in 1987 New station: $1.9 million station will be built at Graham and Main Street east of Interstate 65. City is opening bids next week. Fire chief wants to hire a contractor by Sept. 1 and move into the new station in June 2006. Response time: 4 minutes, 5-7 minutes east of the interstate	Size: 64 square miles, 14,000 people Budget: $1.3 million Tax rate: 19 cents per $100 assessed valuation Staff: 37 part-time firefighters and paramedics, although Bargersville is converting to a career department and hiring seven full-time administrators Calls: 600 a year (70 percent medical runs) Station: 89 S. Baldwin St., built in the 1950s New station: Started construction on a $1.86 million station at Smokey Row and Mullinix roads. Expected to take 10 months to complete. Response time: 4 to 5 minutes, as high as 10 minutes in outlying areas	Size: 22 square miles, 36,000 people Budget: $4.9 million Tax rate: Nearly 24 cents per $100 assessed valuation Staff: 36 full-time, 54 part-time Calls: 1,626 in 2004 Stations: Station 51, Runyon Road between Smith Valley and Olive Branch roads, built in 1950s and renovated; Station 52, Meridian Parke Lane near Main Street and State Road 135; built in 1992; Station 53, Mullinex Road near Smith Valley Road and State Road 37; built in October 2001 New station: Planning at least a four-bay station at Olive Branch Road and State Road 135. Exploring the Mullinix and Olive Branch roads area or Morgantown and Fairview roads area for a fourth station. Response time: 4.2 minutes

 

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