Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire Ems Study topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County schedules six-month baseline study of fire and EMS operations
Summary
County staff said a consultant contract will be signed imminently for a baseline study of fire and EMS that is expected to take about six months and will draw on 911 call data, agency records and stakeholder interviews; findings will be presented separately to the county and two towns.
County Fire and Rescue Commission staff said a consultant contract will be signed imminently for a countywide baseline study of fire and emergency medical services that is expected to take about six months to complete. The study will use 911 authority call data, agency call logs and interviews with volunteers and career personnel, and its findings will be presented to the three elected bodies — the county and the two towns — at their regular meetings.
The study matters because officials said it will establish a shared baseline for response and resource planning across jurisdictions. A county staff member told the commission the work must draw information from many sources, including the 911 authority, volunteer departments and career agencies, before consultants can produce findings.
Commission members were told the contract for the study will likely be signed “tomorrow,” and staff will notify the commission when the study timeline is available. County staff estimated the study will take around six months, possibly longer depending on data collection and stakeholder interviews. The commission was told the presentation of results will not be a single joint meeting: findings will be delivered separately to the county and to each of the two towns at their regular meetings.
Commissioners and staff also raised concerns about county career fire and EMS personnel volunteering for local agencies in the county. A county staff member said the issue has been raised by volunteers and some career staff and that staff will meet with town managers in the next few days to discuss how the county will address cross-jurisdictional volunteering. That planning work was described as a near-term follow-up rather than a policy decision made at the meeting.
There was no formal motion or vote on the study or on volunteer policy during the meeting. The commission recorded the administrative update and indicated staff will return with a timeline and further recommendations as the contract is executed and the study progresses.
Less-critical items: the commission approved the prior meeting’s minutes by voice vote at the start of the session, and the next regular commission meeting was scheduled for Oct. 16.
