Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-14-1996 - IX-B i 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 14 , 1996 SUBJECT: Orange County-Town of Hillsborough Fire Service Collaboration ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT Emergency Management/ PUBLIC HEARING YES NO x County Manager ------------------------------- BUDGET AMENDMENT REQUIRED YES NO x -------------------------------- ------------------------------- ATTACHMENT(S) INFORMATION CONTACT 5/9/96 Issues Paper Nick Waters, ext 3030 2/29/96 Hillsborough Town Manager Memo Rod Visser, ext 2300 4/21/95 Hillsborough Town Manager Memo TELEPHONE NUMBER Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Mebane 227-2031 Durham 688-7331 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PURPOSE: To consider policy decisions on two issues related to fire prevention and protection involving Orange County and the Town of Hillsborough. BACKGROUND: At a March 13, 1996 work session involving the Orange County Board of Commissioners and the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners, elected officials discussed future direction on two policy issues : first, the question of how long the County should continue to contract with the Town to perform the State-mandated fire inspection program on the Town' s behalf; and second, to consider a proposal from the Town and the Orange Rural Fire Department that the County contribute funds to pay for a portion of the costs of hiring three full-time firefighters to serve with the Orange Rural/Town of Hillsborough fire department . The accompanying paper and memos provide background and possible courses of action oft these two policy matters. RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Board of Commissioners 1) agree to extend the fire inspection contract between the County and the Town through June 30, ' 1997, with the understanding that the Town would then undertake fire inspections within its own jurisdiction - the County would then consider a possible new, limited agreement to provide continuing technical support on Level III fire inspections; and 2) consider whether to allocate any additional funds to the Orange Rural Fire Department - if so, to consider making that allocation a one-time capital contribution based on proportional value of County owned property to the entire assessed property value of the entire fire district . 2 ORANGE COUNTY-TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH FIRE ISSUES MAY 9, 1996 1 . Fire Inspections There seemed to be general agreement at the March 13 , 1996 work session that it would be helpful if the County continues to perform mandated fire inspections on behalf of the Town for another year. The Town Manager met subsequently with the County Manager and staff to discuss details associated with continuing the fire inspection program as performed by the County fire marshal ' s office. The County Manager noted his view that if the County continues to perform inspections for the Town, it would be important that the fee schedule for inspections in the County' s and Town' s jurisdictions be identical. A new fee schedule for 1996-97 has been proposed for consideration at the County Commissioners ' May 14 regular meeting. The Town Manager noted that it would take one more year for the Town to be able to accomplish most of its own mandated fire inspections with-a trained and certified fire inspector. The Managers agreed to recommend that the County continue to contract to perform the Town' s fire inspections through June 30, 1997 . However, it was noted that it would take longer than a year for a Hillsborough inspector to become certified to perform Level III fire inspections . The Managers agreed to consider next year an arrangement beyond June 30, 1997 whereunder the County fire marshal would act as mentor for the Hillsborough fire inspector and continue to provide assistance on fire inspections requiring an inspector certified at a higher level . 2 . Paid Firefighters There was also discussion on March 13 about the Town' s consideration, along with the Orange Rural Fire Department, of hiring up to three full-time paid firefighters. The Town Manager' s memos of April 21, 1995, and February 29, 1996 provide extensive background information on this subject. The specific proposal presented to the County Commissioners was that the County consider providing funds to support one half of a full-time firefighter position for 1996-97 . Among the points raised at the March 13 meeting were : possible use of fire district tax proceeds for paid firefighters; possible revenue from Hillsborough fire inspections to help fund a firefighter/inspector position; a possible allocation of sales tax proceeds for capital assistance to Orange Rural; possible use of fees for false alarms; and the implications for all fire districts of County contributions for fire protection for County buildings in one fire district . Since Hillsborough would require another year before undertaking its fire inspections with a Town inspector, use of inspection fee revenue to help fund a firefighter- position is not a viable option for 1996-97 . To: Members of the committee Discussing Fire Protections issues 3 in Northern Orange county; Commissioners Martin, Lloyd (alternate) , and Simpson Hillsborough Town Board Keith Cook, Orange County School Board Board Members Cates, Temple, and Davis Orange Rural Fire District Board Wallace Nilson, Hillsborough Firemen Board of Directors Rod Visser, Assistant County Manager of Orange County From: Eric Swanson, Hillsborough Town Manager Date: February 29, 1996 subj: Fire Protection issues in Northern Orange county INTRODUCTION As agreed at our last meeting, the following report is in- tended to summarize discussions concerning full time fire protec- tion needs/issues in northern Orange County. This report will be presented to the following boards that were identified as major stakeholderelin these discussions. Orange County Board of County Commissioners Orange County School Board Orange Rural Fire Distrivt Hoard Hillsborough board of commissioners An earlier report dated April of 1995 (see attached) summa- rized the current organization or Lire protection services in northern orange county. I have also attached a map depicting the current boundaries of the Orange Rural Fire Distract. The report specifically identified problems with respect to the provision of fire protection to citizens who reside in the Town of Hillsbor- ough and orange Rural Fire Districts. In summary, the report demonstrated. the lack of volunteers available Monday-Friday during daytime hours (SAM-5PM) to respond to fire calls. In 1995, a total of 148 calls (see attached sum- mary) were dispatched from Orange County central Communications during that time period to the affected jurisdictions. The report also identified orange County and. the orange county School Board as major stakeholders in these discussions because a major- ity or Orange county buildings and schools are located within these fire districts. Representatives of these major stakeholder groups have met to discuss potential solutions to these issues. These recommen- dations were not endorsed by every member of this committee. it was unanimously agreed that because no one individually could commit their respective boards to financial or policy matters, these recommendations should be presented to each of the Boards for their subsequent action. 4 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS One of the solutions identified in these discussions was the possibility of increasing the number of available volunteers during the day. This discussion include¢ the prospect of using the large number of Orange County and Orange County School em- ployees working in Hillsborough as a potential source of volun- teers. Rod visser, orange County,Assistant County Manager identi- fied 12 county employees who currently held firefighter certifi- cations. Mr. visser could not comment as to whether these indi- viduals would be interested. The use of these individuals to re- spond to fire calls during the day would have to be explored further. Mr. visser suggested that the Orange County Board would have to establish a policy to allow employees the ability to volunteer and respond to fire calls while working, it this ap- proach were to be pursued further. Keith Cook, School Board member had identified a total of three school system employees who currently held firefighter certifications. Two of these employees are interested in volun- teering and the School Board has agreed to give permission to these employees in the maintenance division to respond to fire calls. Eric Swanson reported that the Town of Hillsborough has two employees who currently hold firefighter.certifications. Both of these employees respond regularly to calls and are afforded administrative leave for the period of time that they are absent from the job site. It was agreed that efforts to increase the number of volun- teors during the day should be pursued. The majority of the group felt strongly that all or the Boards should take whatever action necessary to encourage the use of, these volunteers. This included changes to current personnel policies and other similar directives that would support and increase the likelihood that county, town and school system employees that are currently certified as firefighters can volunteer and respond to fire calls from their job site. HIRING rULL-TIME PERSONNEL The increase in the use of volunteers was identified as a short term solution. Long tern it was agreed that full tine firemen will be needed to address the present fire loss potential and future growth within the districts. Initially it was agreed that three firefighters would need to be employed. The Town of Hillsborough would assume administrative responsibilities within the present town employee organizational structure. S The proposal the group agreed to submit to the boards to fund these positions are as follows; -The Town of Hillsborough would fund the cost of one posi- tion -The Orange Rural District would fund the cost of one posi- tion -orange County and Orange County School Board would split the cost (50$/50$) of one position. With benefits, the cost to fund one position would be within a $32,000.- $35,000. range. Tberefore, the cost to Orange county and the School Board would be in the $16,000.-- $17,500 range. It was also noted that future revenues fx Tire inspections could be identified as a potential source of funding. Myself and members of this committee can make ourselves available to present this proposal to the various boards. Town 6 of Hills h S,��75 g To: Mayor Johnson and the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners Orange Rural Fire District Board Members From: Eric Swanson, Town Manager o' v"_ Date: April 21, 1995 Subj : Full-time Fireman Issues for the Town and Orange Rural IN, DIICTION At their February 16th Orange Rural Fire District meeting, board members unanimously directed Eric Swanson, Town Manager and Jimmy Summey, Fire Chief to explore the issues involved with the hiring of full-time firefighters to provide fire protection to the town and Orange Rural Fire District. The town and Orange rural cooperatively provide fire protection to residents in the town and the Orange rural district. Hillsborough Board members were apprised of this decision at the annual Board retreat held on February 18 and were generally supportive of exploring this concept. The following report is intended to explore some of the basic issues identified thus far and to; 1. Illustrate the present fire department organizational struc- ture for the two departments, along with a financial summary for each of the two departments. 2. Project costs for full-time firefighters based on alternative manning levels. 3 . Suggest options with respect to future organizational issues and recommend a process for further action. PRESENT STRIICT[JI2E The Town of Hillsborough had a total FY 1994/95 fire depart- ment budget of $111,713 (see attached summary) . This represents 5.49% of the total $2,034,106 general fund expenditures or about 6.01 cents of the total 48.5 cent tax rate, based on a total valuation of $183 ,000,000. The town provides the fire station, which houses all of the suppression equipment for both depart- ments, administrative offices, and a training room located at 203 South Churton St. The town provides a 1980 model pumper truck and 1982 Ford Crown Victoria chase car. The town plans to replace the existing pumper truck in the FY 1994/95 budget. 101 East Orange Street • P.O. Box 429 • Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 919-732-2104 • Fax: 919-644-2390 J ! 1 The town currently contracts for state mandated fire inspec- 7 ' tions with the Orange County Fire Marshall's office within the town limits and Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) . This pro- gram is funded by inspection fees that are paid by the establish- ment being inspected. The town's ISO fire rating is 5. The Orange Rural Fire District had a total FY 1994/95 fire department budget of $150,789. Residents of the fire district pay 4.25 cents per thousand dollars of valuation, based on a total valuation of the district of $362,335,133. The district provides the remaining suppression equipment, Ford 1977 F-700 Pumper Ford 1973 L-900 Tanker Dodge 1974 W-300 4X4 Quick Attack Pumper Ford 1985 C-8000 Pumper/Tanker Ford 1983 Loadstar Equipment Truck Volvo 1991 Pumper/Tanker Simon/Dupley LTI 75' Aerial The Orange rural fire district rating is 9. Annexation by the town will negatively impact the future financial condition of the Orange Rural Fire District. For exam- ple, the annexation of the Corwallis Hills subdivision, effective July 1, 1996 will eliminate $13,370,117 from the Orange Rural district tax base. State law requires that the town make up for the financial loss due to annexation for five years. The town is currently making payments to the Orange rural district for other recent annexations at a total FY 1994/95 cost of $21,595. Because Hillsborough is the county seat for Orange County, a significant exposure exists with respect to the number of county buildings located in the city. Based upon insurance data, the total value for county buildings alone is $16,335,133 . No esti- mate is available for school buildings located in the Orange rural district. The town and county does not receive any tax revenue from these buildings because they are tax exempt. Members of the Hillsborough Fire Department elect the Chief and officers annually. Both departments use the same personnel and equipment inter- changeably. The town board adopts a departmental budget at the annual budget meeting in June. The rural board recommends a budget and is adopted by the Orange County Board of Commissioners during their annual June budget meeting. For major fires, the town can employ mutual assistance agreements with other fire districts within Orange County. Personnel from these other departments augment personnel fighting the fire, or standby at the station in the event another fire is reported in the area. 8 All radio communications and calls for assistance are coor- dinated through the Orange County communications center. This twenty four hours a day, seven days a week operation also coordi- nates all major disaster relief efforts and hazardous materials response calls. The Orange County Fire Marshall's office is responsible for conducting investigations for all major fires. FULL TIME FIREMAN SCENARIOS Discussions thus far have focused on providing full-time firefighter coverage during the day (8AM-5PM) . The fireman would report to the elected volunteer Chief, who in turn reports to the Town Manager and Orange Rural District Board respectively. Payroll, benefit and other administrative services would be provided by the town. The firefighter would be afforded benefits in accordance with the town's benefits package. The town has an interest in exploring the possibility of hiring firefighters that could also provide for the state mandat- ed inspections. It would seem that the rural board would like to hire a firefighter capable of maintaining suppression vehicles and equipment. Based upon the above conclusions, and the towns 1994 step and grade system, the following are estimated costs for mechanic and inspector grade positions. Step/Grade Salary and Benefits Firefighter (level II) 16-1 $26,221+25%=$32,776.25 Fleet Mechanic 9-1 $18,557+25%=$23,196.25 TOTAL WITH TWO PERSONNEL-- $55,972.50 If the boards were to agree to provide for an additional firefighter (level I) the following additional cost would result. Firefighter (level I) 11-1 $20,484+25%=$25,605.00 TOTAL WITH THREE PERSONNEL-- $81,577.50 The previous cost estimates relate only to salary and bene- fits. The estimated 25% benefit ratio is based on the town's current package which includes single health care and dental coverage, state retirement, 401R, and life insurance equal to the individuals annual salary. There would be other costs for full time personnel such as uniforms and workman's compensation that would have to be a part of the budget. An evaluation of those true costs would require further analysis and discussion by the two boards. 9 ORGANIZATION After review of the issues involved with full-time needs, it became apparent that the organizational structure would require some investigation. A representative of the department of insur- ance suggested we contact the City of Dunn, North Carolina a community with a population of 8,631 near I-95. Dunn has recently went from an all volunteer fire department to a volunteer department with a paid chief, mechanic, and fire inspector. Dunn provides fire protection to the town and Averas- boro fire district through a contract with the district (see attached agreement) . The main reason they went to the paid staff was to improve their fire rating (their ISO rating went from 7 to 5) . They also felt that because the combined town and fire dis- trict budget exceeded $200,000. , the administration of the de- partment with volunteers became too complicated. They too had a need for full time fire protection staff for coverage. The agreement between the city and the district provides for the city to provide fire protection services to the district. The costs for this service is based on the "pro rata share. . . , based on the ad valorem tax base in comparison to the city's ad valorem tax base". In other words, fire protection is provided to the city and Averasboro district based upon the combined assessed valuations and a budget to provide fire protection to both entities. For all major capital expenditures, it was agreed that the city and the Averasboro district would share 50/50 on all costs. SUMMARY When the Orange rural district and Town of Hillsborough decide to hire full-time fire fighters to provide fire protection to the town and rural district, it would appear an arrangement similar to the Dunn and Averasboro agreement would prove to be the most simplistic approach. The agreement allows for a straightforward yet flexible approach to personnel and financial reporting issues. The two boards, and fireman's association would also have to consider how a full time fireman could be supervised by a volunteer chief. Also, it would become problem- atic for a firefighter to receive state retirement benefits without being a full time town employee. Regardless of whatever is done, everyone involved needs to agree that the future of fire protection for both entities should continue to be in the cooperative spirit that has existed over the past several decades. This includes the continued existence of a fire service that relies on a professional volunteer force. Recoimendation: Receive this report as information only. The Manager and Chief recommend that the two Boards hold a joint meeting to discuss this report and any further action.