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Liberty pushes merger of fire services
GIRARD STUDIES PLAN
Liberty
The township has emerged as the proactive force behind the possible merger of the Liberty and Girard fire departments as it works to convince Girard of the merger’s advantages.
“We have the same number of personnel that we did in 1984,” said Liberty Fire Chief Michael Durkin, who supervises 14 firefighters. Durkin said that when he became chief in 2002, the department serviced 1,435 calls. In 2010, they serviced 2,012.
“That’s quite a bit of difference with the same number of people,” Durkin said.
Because of the number of calls, Liberty is forced to sometimes contact Girard, with 12 full-time firefighters posted at its one station, for assistance. But other districts, including Girard, often call Liberty for its 11 paramedic-certified firefighters posted at two fire stations.
If the two were to merge under one department, there would be no need to call for services because all 26 firefighters and paramedics would be in one central station, thus cutting down response times. Durkin said that figure plus four or five part-time firefighters would be enough to protect both the city and the township.
If the two departments were to merge, it would be the first merger of two full-time departments in the area, Durkin said.
Durkin said a merger will both save money and “definitely make things safer for the community.”
Girard Fire Chief Kenneth Bornemiss said he and Mayor James Melfi are waiting to hear more details about merger benefits from Liberty before making a decision.
Liberty trustee Stan Nudell said the plan hinges on possible funding from the state that could pay for the building of the central station.
The township has been in contact with its state representative, Sean O’Brien of Brookfield, D-65th.
The state budget sets aside $45 million partly to encourage consolidation, said Emily Barker, a legislative aid to O’Brien. But the deciding body, dubbed the Ohio Local Government Innovation Council, that will read over grant applications will not be formed until early October, Barker said.
And local governments would not be able to apply until early 2012, she said.
“The council is in its infancy,” Barker said.
Another part of the process is presenting to Girard the merger’s savings. Since the merger plan is still in its infancy, Nudell had no specific numbers on how much Liberty and Girard could save by merging their departments.
“We are still gathering all the information,” Nudell said, but said it could save money via lower building maintenance and possibly personnel. Any personnel cuts would come through attrition.
“If someone were to retire, at that time we could look to see if we could do more with less,” he said.
If the merger were to receive funding from the state and if Girard agreed to it, voters from both the city and township would have to approve the consolidation at the ballot box.
Although the process of creating a joint fire district is still at the beginning stages, Hubbard city and township — which already have the Eagle Fire District — have been ruled out of the equation, Nudell said.
There, firefighters are volunteer only, and residents would have to approve supporting full-time firefighters instead.