June 29, 2009

Study examining fire department merger

       Dozens of firefighters are studying whether merging the two largest fire departments in Johnson County into a single department would save money or improve service.  Greenwood Fire Chief James Sipes and White River Township Fire Chief Jeremy Pell have appointed subcommittees made up of firefighters to look into whether consolidation would lead to cost savings, improvements in fire protection or reduction in response times. They hope to put together a draft of a comprehensive report by mid-July.  The departments likely will adopt many of the study recommendations for working together, whether or not they legally consolidate into a single department, Pell said.

         Three fire districts now serve White River Township: White River Township, Greenwood and Bargersville. The Bargersville Fire Department, which covers a protection district much wider than the town and is the first responder to Center Grove High School and other schools, is not looking at merging.  Greenwood and White River Township firefighters are studying the following areas:
   
• Administration, budget, structure and policies
• Human resources, pension and benefits
• Code enforcement, public information office, public education and plans
• Communications and information technology
• Operations, station location and safety
• Ambulance and EMS division
• Special operations, hazardous materials and tactical team
• Firefighter training, health, wellness and safety
• Support services and facility and vehicle maintenance
• Equipment

         The firefighters are assessing how the departments currently operate in those areas, what it costs, what inventory they have, what personnel handle which responsibilities and how the rank structure is set up, Pell said. They’re reviewing such matters as how much each department spends on fuel and how it’s purchased.  Subcommittees will come up with budget estimates for what it would cost to operate a single, merged department serving the entire developed part of northern Johnson County. They will find out, for instance, how much employee benefits such as health insurance cost in each department and what it would cost to provide the same benefits to everyone.  Firefighters will look at disparities between the departments, such as with different benefits including vacation time. They’ll then discuss the differing policies and determine whether more vacation time or higher base salaries would be better in a new merged department, Pell said.  They’ll compare training schedules, safety procedures and the forms fire inspectors use to evaluate the safety of buildings, and pick out the best features from each department.  “We want to look at the best of the both departments and combine the best to make something even better,” he said.

         A merger would require restructuring both departments administratively and shifting around division chiefs, Pell said. Such changes could likely be made without demotions or redundant positions because both departments are already short-staffed, he said.  One White River Township firefighter, for instance, heads up the emergency medical services division, training and safety. Ideally, three different administrators would handle those jobs so firefighters could be shuffled around to where they’re needed, Pell said.  Joining the departments would present some logistical challenges, such as combining computer records systems so that no personnel files, run calls or other vital documents would be lost, Pell said. Firefighters would also have to use the same air packs and suits so they would be able to recognize each other during fires and other emergencies.  The departments already share a radio system and a central dispatcher.  During the merger study, firefighters will look into ways the departments can work more closely or be more efficient regardless of whether they legally merge, Pell said. In one example of increased cooperation, the departments could expand the area where both departments respond to any calls, which currently is mostly along the State Road 135 commercial corridor.
   The fire departments already train together. This year, they started to share personnel on special tactical teams, including the dive team and the tactical rescue team, which specializes in rescues from collapsed buildings, trenches and other dangerous places.  “Whether or not there’s a legal merger, we’ll look at putting a lot of what we find into place so we can provide better fire protection to the residents,” Pell said. “Our goal with all this is work together better to improve fire protection.”  A merger of the two departments would take place independently of a merger between the city of Greenwood and White River Township, which would have to be approved in a referendum.  If a merger of the fire departments takes place, the commissioners likely would have to agree to dissolve the White River Township Fire District, Pell said. Officials have not yet looked into the legal process that would be required.  Such technical issues won’t be sorted out until after firefighters determine if merging the departments would be worth pursuing, Pell said. Consolidation could have some benefits, such as a broader tax base that would make it easier to hire more full-time firefighters to keep up with future residential growth, he said.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

 
    

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