Will Washougal follow thru & will Camas fix their overtime issues?
Camas, Washougal consider consolidating their fire services
Joint efforts could reduce duplication, ease staff shortages
By Marissa Harshman
Columbian staff writer
Saturday, May 29, 2010
City officials in Camas and Washougal are once again looking into ways to consolidate fire protection services.
Washougal Mayor Sean Guard requested the two cities explore options for joint services in an attempt to gain efficiency. At this point, Guard said, city officials have had only preliminary discussions and have not determined how a consolidated service may work.
“Right now, we are asking both fire chiefs to look at how the joint resources of personnel, stations and equipment can tactically be used to bolster area-wide fire responses,” Guard said in a news release.
A working group, including fire chiefs, personnel and city officials from Camas and Washougal, has been assembled to research the issue. Last year, Washougal’s professional firefighters decertified their union and joined the Camas fire union. A representative from the union, the fire departments and Washougal’s volunteer firefighter association will also take part in the group meetings. Guard expects the group will have a clearer idea of whether joint services would be cost-effective and what changes could be made within the next two months.
Before making any changes, Guard said the cities will take several issues into consideration, including maintaining Washougal’s volunteer fire department, retaining a sense of identity and providing at least the current level of service in a cost-effective manner. Both cities’ human resource departments are also researching how a consolidation would affect employee salaries and benefits.
Joint efforts could not only reduce duplication but also provide relief when either department faces staffing shortfalls.
Earlier this year, Washougal Chief Ron Schumacher and three firefighters were out on medical leave. Those absences left the department with just six professional firefighters, the minimum required to maintain 24/7 service, Guard said. The Camas department has 40 firefighters, plus Chief Leo Leon. It already provides ambulance service to Washougal.
When Guard ran for mayor last fall, he pledged to bring Washougal back to the table to discuss fire service consolidation and look for ways to make city services more efficient. These discussions, Guard said, achieves both of those goals.
The city of Camas also expressed a desire to consolidate services. In the city’s 2010 budget, one fire department goal was to develop plans to consolidate resources with neighboring jurisdictions to eliminate duplication of efforts, improve service and reduce costs.
The two cities have consolidated other services in past years. Currently, they share emergency medical, animal control and municipal court services.
“In reality, with our mutual aid agreements we already assist each other on major fire situations and our departments interact a lot when it comes to medical calls,” Camas Mayor Paul Dennis said in a news release. “This is a very natural potential consolidation of services with the potential to benefit both communities for years to come.”
Washougal is still asking voters to approve a replacement operations levy this fall for emergency medical services. The levy does not affect consolidation discussions, which pertain only to fire services, Guard said.
By Marissa Harshman
Columbian staff writer
Saturday, May 29, 2010
City officials in Camas and Washougal are once again looking into ways to consolidate fire protection services.
Washougal Mayor Sean Guard requested the two cities explore options for joint services in an attempt to gain efficiency. At this point, Guard said, city officials have had only preliminary discussions and have not determined how a consolidated service may work.
“Right now, we are asking both fire chiefs to look at how the joint resources of personnel, stations and equipment can tactically be used to bolster area-wide fire responses,” Guard said in a news release.
A working group, including fire chiefs, personnel and city officials from Camas and Washougal, has been assembled to research the issue. Last year, Washougal’s professional firefighters decertified their union and joined the Camas fire union. A representative from the union, the fire departments and Washougal’s volunteer firefighter association will also take part in the group meetings. Guard expects the group will have a clearer idea of whether joint services would be cost-effective and what changes could be made within the next two months.
Before making any changes, Guard said the cities will take several issues into consideration, including maintaining Washougal’s volunteer fire department, retaining a sense of identity and providing at least the current level of service in a cost-effective manner. Both cities’ human resource departments are also researching how a consolidation would affect employee salaries and benefits.
Joint efforts could not only reduce duplication but also provide relief when either department faces staffing shortfalls.
Earlier this year, Washougal Chief Ron Schumacher and three firefighters were out on medical leave. Those absences left the department with just six professional firefighters, the minimum required to maintain 24/7 service, Guard said. The Camas department has 40 firefighters, plus Chief Leo Leon. It already provides ambulance service to Washougal.
When Guard ran for mayor last fall, he pledged to bring Washougal back to the table to discuss fire service consolidation and look for ways to make city services more efficient. These discussions, Guard said, achieves both of those goals.
The city of Camas also expressed a desire to consolidate services. In the city’s 2010 budget, one fire department goal was to develop plans to consolidate resources with neighboring jurisdictions to eliminate duplication of efforts, improve service and reduce costs.
The two cities have consolidated other services in past years. Currently, they share emergency medical, animal control and municipal court services.
“In reality, with our mutual aid agreements we already assist each other on major fire situations and our departments interact a lot when it comes to medical calls,” Camas Mayor Paul Dennis said in a news release. “This is a very natural potential consolidation of services with the potential to benefit both communities for years to come.”
Washougal is still asking voters to approve a replacement operations levy this fall for emergency medical services. The levy does not affect consolidation discussions, which pertain only to fire services, Guard said.
In : Community
Tags: washougal camas fire department
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