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Police and Fire dispatchers; Livonia and Canton discuss combining
Topic Started: Feb 14 2009, 04:56 PM (439 Views)
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Livonia, Canton discuss shared dispatch

By TONY BRUSCATO • OBSERVER Staff Writer • February 8, 2009
Canton Township and Livonia have begun preliminary discussions on the consolidation of police and fire department dispatch centers.

Canton Township Supervisor Phil LaJoy, Executive Director John Santomauro and Finance Director Rick Eva met with Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey and his staff last week to determine if there was interest in at least having a dialogue about centralized dispatch services.

"We think, in these present economic times, we would be less than responsible if we did not at least look at this," Santomauro said. "We walked into the discussions with no preconceived notion that it can or cannot work."

One immediate common goal for the two communities, which helped spur the discussions, is the fact the Livonia Police Department is in the process of replacing its radio system and Canton police are looking to buy one.

"It's a complicated process that demands both communities have the same type of radio equipment," said Kirksey. "I'm not sure if it will reach fruition, but it's obviously a high priority to sort out the logistics, expenses and the other details that go with it."

Eva said it costs the township about $1.1 million annually to pay salaries and benefits for the township's dispatch center, which has 18 dispatchers.

Santomauro said the two communities will look for a consulting firm that specializes in centralized dispatch to study operational needs and put together a plan with a price tag. After that, they'll determine if it's worth moving forward. Santomauro noted that if a centralized police and fire dispatch are part of the future, it will be run by an authority that is accountable to both communities.

"There has to be political oversight in terms of operations and authorization of funds, but you want to keep the politics out of the operational part," Santomauro said.

Kirksey believes if the consolidation takes place it could be accomplished within two years.

"We think it's an outstanding match," said Kirksey of partnering with Canton. "This holds a tremendous potential to keep the same quality of service but at a savings to the taxpayer."

LaJoy said the discussions are a continuing effort to look at all costs in the township.

"We need to constantly look at everything we do to save money for the taxpayers." LaJoy said.

tbruscato@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-2637
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090208/NEWS10/902080541/1027/NEWS10
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o_O
Space Cadet
[ *  *  * ]
Consolidation has been a political buzz word for many years now, but rarely works out despite the potential savings. Most Dispatchers are Unionized, which means two groups will have to be brought under one contract, which will be a problem. Then the questions of what equipment to purchase, who will be in charge, and who will lose their jobs arises, and the power struggles begin. Livonia and Farmington Hills were talking about this very same thing several years ago, but it didn't work out.
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It's time to ramp up talks on sharing services
March 5, 2009

As Farmington Hills Mayor Jerry Ellis has said many times, never let a good crisis go to waste.

We assume this does not mean that companies and government should take advantage of the poor economy by using it as an excuse to cut jobs and pad the bottom line - the band wagon effect.

We assume this means that everything is on the table these days. And, that means Farmington, Farmington Hills and Farmington Public Schools need to dig deeper to find more ways to share services. There must be more functions of each unit that can be shared. This should be a top priority, now.

The cities share a lot of programs and services currently and have a longstanding cooperative spirit with the Farmington Public Schools. In times like these, when each unit is struggling and anticipating harder times in the near future, it makes sense to find even more collaboration.

We're encouraged that Farmington Hills leaders are in discussions with neighboring communities like West Bloomfield, Southfield and Novi and Farmington Public Schools. Hopefully, those talks will lead to some new ideas.

It was only last year when Farmington residents voiced their strong opposition at a public meeting on the topic of consolidation with Farmington Hills. Many indicated that it's not all about money; that they do not mind paying more for good services.

We wonder if the cuts that will come to Farmington's city government and services will change any minds. Mayor Valerie Knol said the city is bracing for steady reductions in revenue for the next few years. The small city of Farmington already operates on a lean staff, so any reductions will certainly be noticed.

Tough times call for tough decisions. The time is now to brainstorm ways to stay afloat.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090305/OPINION/903050608/1195/NEWS06
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Plymouth firefighters blast safety study


By Matt Jachman • Observer Staff Writer • September 1, 2010

Plymouth’s new $68,000 study of its public safety services — police protection, firefighting and emergency medical service — is having a ripple effect in Plymouth Township.

The study, released late last month by the consulting arm of the International City/County Management Association, is to be formally presented to the Plymouth City Commission during a public meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

It was aimed at finding savings in the way public safety services are delivered, and suggests five options for cutting costs that would affect the Plymouth Community Fire Department. The 23-member fire department now provides firefighting and emergency medical services to the city and the township, and Plymouth is responsible for about 25 percent — roughly $1 million a year — of the department’s budget.

Township Supervisor Richard Reaume said that while change that brings savings to the city and the township is needed in a time of revenue shortfalls, the report contains a lot of data to digest and the city’s future course will likely trigger changes in the fire department that the township will have to address.

Fire Lt. Rick Tefend, president of the firefighters union, blasted the plan’s proposed changes to the fire department, saying none of the options would provide the level of fire protection and emergency medical service Plymouth residents now enjoy.

“You’re cheating the citizens by going to any one of these” options, Tefend said. “I don’t understand why they would want to take the township and the city back 30 years.”

Change coming?
But unless officials keep the status quo, which seems unlikely given the falling revenue of recent years and what the City Commission said was the need to look for savings, Plymouth’s decisions regarding the fire department will affect the township.

For Reaume, that’s not all bad.

“We cannot continue to do business as usual,” he said. “There are not enough public dollars.”

The township has already expressed interest in a plan for a shared emergency dispatch system now being studied by Livonia and Canton Township officials (Plymouth and Plymouth Township already combine dispatch), Reaume said, and last year discussed greater regionalization of the fire department, an idea that could be revived.

Two options in the study would sever the city’s ties with the fire department and have the city move instead to a public safety department, in which police officers would be cross-trained and also act as firefighters and medical first responders. Private ambulance service, as it does now, would also play a role in providing medical care.

Under one of those scenarios, “we’d have to look at what it meant for the communities” before deciding the future of the fire department, Reaume said. The township Board of Trustees, in its agreement with the city, is charged with managing the department. The city can back out of the agreement with a year’s notice, with the dissolution coming at the end of a calendar year.

Options considered
Under three other options in the study, the city would continue to be served by the fire department, but would seek personnel cuts, and the introduction of some part-time and on-call firefighters, in order to trim costs.

“Our board would have to take a hard look at that,” said Reaume, acknowledging that getting the firefighters union to agree to personnel cuts and the introduction of a class of part-time and on-call employees would be difficult.

On that, Reaume and Tefend agree.

“It would be a tough fight for them, absolutely,” said Tefend, president of Local 1496 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents 21 active firefighters (three are also on layoff).

Tefend argues that the extensive training required would make it difficult to recruit part-time and on-call firefighters who would earn lower wages or be volunteers, and that the report glosses over some issues raised by a public safety department, such as the cost of having a private paramedic stationed in the city, something the report suggests.

Having cross-trained public safety officers, or auxiliary or part-time firefighters instead of a full-time force, Tefend said, would raise insurance rates for homeowners and businesses.

Tefend also argues with some of the study’s findings, including one that says firefighters are busy at fires and medical runs, in the city and the township combined, for a total of just 90 minutes a day.

“Two-point-three runs a day (the average in the city alone) could average out to be 90 minutes — if we didn’t transport, if there was nothing major going on,” Tefend said.

Other ways
The study said the department averaged nearly eight fire and medical runs a day in the city and township combined. The overwhelming majority of the department’s calls are for medical assistance.

Tefend said the study should have looked at having the fire department transport more patients to hospitals during medical emergencies, which would allow it to collect revenue from insurers and patients, rather than handing that service to Huron Valley Ambulance, which does a majority of transports. Township officials have said that approach would not be cost-effective.

Tefend said firefighters are willing to handle more patient transports, at least on a temporary basis, with no increase in personnel to see how that model works.

“The city wants to save a hundred and eighty thousand,” he said, referring to one proposed option and its estimated savings. “I can probably bring them a quarter of a million in transport (fees).”

mjachman@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-2405
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20100901/NEWS15/100901016/Plymouth+firefighters+blast+safety+study
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