CHENANGO COUNTY – Unsure if it’s even feasible at this point, four local fire departments are at least considering the possibility of joining forces to form what has been initially dubbed a “municipal consortium.”
Officials from the Earville, North Norwich, Sherburne and Smyrna fire districts will be meeting for only the second time on Wednesday to brainstorm a number of options regarding the consolidation of their departments – admitting they are a long way off from making heads or tails of the idea.
“That’s what we have got to find out,” said Village of Sherburne Fire Chief Mike Hodge, “what the benefits would be; what the savings would be.”
Chenango County Fire Coordinator Matt Beckwith said consolidation talks are just part of what has been an ongoing effort on the part of area departments to maximize resources – both human and capital.
“This is a new theory in New York state – a lot of other states have been doing this,” said Beckwith. “But cooperation, and working together, is nothing new to the fire services.”
While still in its infancy, Beckwith said combining would most likely have no impact on the public’s perception of the individual fire departments, which he said would remain intact. However, the consolidation would mainly focus on creating one purchasing group for all four services, offering standardized training across the board, and the formation of one department – in the sense that all four would be called out from their separate locations as one unit.
“We’re being proactive,” Beckwith said, hoping local districts can weather certain challenges now, to avoid being weakened by them in the future.
The fire coordinator explained that most fire houses have similar fuel, equipment, and maintenance costs, and that significant money could be saved if those products were purchased in higher volumes. He added that there’s a possibility of less engines being needed, saving expenses on individual budgets. As far as the number of volunteers firefighters needed on a day-to-day basis, Beckwith said that would not change.
“The huge aspect of this is that we don’t have as many volunteers as we used to,” Beckwith said. “We have to find the best way to utilize them.”
Beckwith said local districts have met with the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce Interim President Sewain Conklin, who also heads the community cooperation group. The group is a chamber initiative that aids community organizations in cutting costs by examining and reporting where they can combine efforts.
“Consolidating purchasing power; that’s really the focus,” said Conklin. “We want to help them realize some efficiencies, make processes easier, and make their jobs easier to perform.”
A feasibility study is also currently being conducted through Cornell University to aid local departments as they move forward in the consolidation discussions.