Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Firing Up the Region - Will a Regional Fire Department Work?
The Chelsea Area Planning Team (CAPT) and Dexter Area Regional Team (DART) have been meeting and talking about, among other things, a regional fire department. Imagine a fire department, covering an area including all of Scio, Webster, Lima, Dexter, Sylvan, and Lyndon Townships, and the city of Chelsea and village of Dexter. This is 30% of the land in Washtenaw County!
What would be the potential benefits? Less administration (one chief instead of three), a better overall staffed department (most small departments struggle to afford sufficient staffing levels to meet all needs), shared resources such as trucks (does each community really need their own set of tankers and ladder trucks?), and possibly, an overall cost savings to all involved with better service.
I think that is what everyone has in mind when we sit around the table and, like the scene from the movie, “The Untouchables,” everyone talks about teamwork, all heads nod, and everyone agrees it is a great idea. The only problem is that, in the movie, Al Capone pulls out a baseball bat and demonstrates to one associate at the table that he is definitely NOT part of the team. No one at CAPT/DART wants to be that guy. So while everyone is nodding in agreement that it sounds like a great idea, what are the baseball bats hidden in the corners? You would probably call those issues “politics.”
A regional fire department would combine three fire departments from the area - Scio Fire Department, Dexter Area Fire Department, and Chelsea Area Fire Authority. Everyone wants to get a fair shake and not feel like they are getting the short end of the deal. Everyone has their own valuation of their own equipment. (”My 2 year old fire truck is worth WAY more than that 8 year old junker you’re trying to pass off…”) Everyone thinks their way of “running a department” is the best way. (”OUR department doesn’t have the problems that department has…”) No method of funding is going to be totally “fair” in everyone’s eyes. (”What do you mean you want to charge by square miles? How about we charge by population density?”) Chelsea is a Fire Authority, with the ability to put a millage to the vote of the people, Scio now has a special assessment district to fund their public safety, and Dexter is funded directly by the participating municipalities - which is right or better? And the list goes on and on.
That really is the tough part. When you get eight municipalities together, you have potentially 28 different government to government interactions, and that’s just one on one! There are rural and urban areas, big box stores and single family businesses, schools of all sizes, mobile home parks and apartment buildings to 10+ acre lots with single family homes, and a multitude of other variables such as lakes and areas with very remote access. How does one formula fit all?
There is no “perfect” solution. Really, as I said at the meeting last Monday, all we can hope for is everyone goes away from the table a little disappointed, without anyone walking away saying, “Yipee! We got a great deal!” If everyone compromises somewhat, it is likely everyone will get the best deal possible. This is where the Nash Equilibrium game theory comes in - I can only succeed if everyone in this with me succeeds as well. So talk to your elected officials, ask them to put away their bats, and tell them to get in there and take one for the team. Then we can all be winners.
