Eldora council hires consultant to study closer cooperation between fire and EMS, approves up to $10,000

The Eldora City Council voted to hire Rick Ro of Ro Consulting to evaluate whether the city—s fire and emergency medical services should coordinate more closely or pursue a merger, approving a contract of up to $10,000.

Rick Ro, who introduced himself to the council as a retired fire chief and consultant, told members he would interview staff across fire and EMS, meet with administrators and produce a set of options with pros and cons. "My name is Rick Ro. I retired two years ago. I had been fire chief…and my second career is getting into consulting," he said while describing past joint operations and training-center collaborations he helped develop.

Why it matters: Council members said they want an impartial assessment after months of internal meetings. A consultant—s report could identify relatively small operational changes (shared training, joint dispatch) and larger options (joint stations, mergers), and it would outline implementation steps the council could act on.

Ro proposed a roughly two-month primary timeline if the work begins this summer, centered on meeting with a high percentage of EMS and fire employees and key administrators. He said lodging and interview scope were the main cost drivers; Ro said he could reduce expenses by staying locally and trimming interviews. "We realized I had more folks than I thought were going to need to be interviewed," he told the council, adding he would tailor the scope to fit the city—s budget.

Council members pressed him on rural experience and legalities for a paid-volunteer department. Ro said he grew up in a town of 500 and had volunteer experience, and he warned that civil-service rules, training minimums and state reporting requirements can complicate full mergers. He cited prior regional efforts where joint operations succeeded (shared stations, dispatch centers and training facilities) and one merger proposal that failed largely for community resistance.

Police Chief Nick, who participated in early planning, urged a third-party review. "It—s imperative to bring in a third-party consultant," he said, arguing an outside perspective would surface issues the community might not see from inside the departments.

Motion and vote: After discussion about cost and employee buy-in, the council moved to engage Ro Consulting for a contract not to exceed $10,000. The motion passed on a roll-call vote (Scott: yes; Mike: yes; Carrie: yes). The council directed staff to fund the work from available funds identified in the current fiscal year.

Next steps: Ro said he could begin interviews this summer or defer until after his other seasonal commitments; the report would return to the council when complete with recommendations ranging from informal cooperation to implementation roadmaps for any structural change.