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New Boardman fire chief plans changes
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Boardman Fire Chief George Brown, formerly Howland’s fire chief, already is planning changes in the department after starting his new job Wednesday. He said his biggest concerns are keeping firefighters safe and staying within the department’s budget.
BOARDMAN
Although he’s been on the job for only a week, Fire Chief George Brown already is looking to make changes.
Brown, who had been chief in Howland for more than 20 years, said he will have a proposal about township ambulance services to the trustees in six weeks and a formal presentation in early August. Brown is researching the cost of having the township run an ambulance and emergency medical service within the department or contracting with an outside provider.
Also under Brown’s direction, residents no longer need to get an open-burning permit from the fire department. Residents can have small campfires for cooking or enjoyment but can’t burn leaves, yard waste or painted, treated or sawed lumber.
The new chief also is updating the township fire code to make it consistent with the state fire code.
He’s also juggling manpower and dollars.
“Firefighter safety is our No. 1 concern, and No. 2 is the budget,” Brown said. “...[On Friday] we had only six firefighters on duty, and it’s difficult to protect our safety. We had 21 calls one day last weekend and 22 calls the other day and three fatalities in auto accidents last week.”
In Howland, Brown said, seven firefighters were on duty, and because of that, he had automatic-aid agreements with Bazetta, Weathersfield and Vienna townships.
“People don’t understand that with mutual and automatic aid, you don’t need the apparatus [fire engine] but you do need the manpower. None of [the fire departments] have it,” he said.
Asked if he will offer a recommendation about Boardman staffing levels — currently at a six-firefighter minimum per shift — to the trustees, Brown said: “I will do that, but right now the police levy is so crucial to us that we’re going to focus on that. If that doesn’t pass, it’s going to affect us here, too. There’s no sense attempting to do anything [with staffing] until we know what happens Aug. 2.”
Voters will decide the fate of a 3.85-mill, five-year additional police levy Aug. 2. The levy is expected to generate $3,815,320 annually for the police department and cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 about $117 annually.
Trustees have said that if the levy fails in August, 20 to 30 of the township’s 132 employees across all departments will be laid off that month.
“We’re doing the very best we can with what we have now,” Brown said.
The trustees finalized a memorandum of understanding with Brown last week. His contract began Wednesday and will continue until June 7, 2013, and could be extended. While in Howland, Brown entered the Deferred Retirement Option Program and must retire in 2017.
Brown will receive an annual salary of $79,177
“It is a little above the salary range that we said,” said Trustee Chairman Thomas Costello. “Quite honestly, we were pretty impressed, and what we agreed to do is pay what he was making in Howland.”
Costello said that Brown will pay a 10 percent share of his retirement and 15 percent of health-care premiums, which is what all department heads in the township pay. Brown did not contribute to either of those in Howland, he added.
Trustee Brad Calhoun said Brown will ably lead the fire department through the changes ahead.
“I think what impressed us most was he was willing to come and take on new challenges and have new fresh ideas,” Calhoun said.