FREEHOLD — An issue that has sparked controversy in Freehold Borough is not going away quietly.
The transfer of the Freehold Fire Department’s dispatch operation from the town where it has been for more than a century to the Monmouth County 911 Emergency Dispatch Center has firefighters upset and residents concerned.
It also has Freehold Borough officials smack in the middle of this rift, trying to explain to residents and firefighters that, although this may have been one of the toughest decisions they have ever had to make, it simply needed to be done.
Tough economic times have led municipal officials to disband the dispatch system currently used by the volunteer fire department and to move that service to the county.
Mayor Michael Wilson told attendees at the April 6 Borough Council meeting that officials had also begun discussions with county administrators to determine if the county could also assume Freehold Borough’s police dispatch operation.
Wilson said the gross cost for dispatch services for fire and police is $586,000 per year. He added that the start-up cost to implement the police dispatch operation with the county is estimated at $100,000 and the start-up cost of the fire department dispatch with the county will be a minimum of $50,000.
The plan, the mayor said, is to retain one phone-call taker at the police department and one special police officer, and to retain a maintenance person at the firehouse from Monday through Friday.
The net savings the borough will realize from the change in operation is $343,000, the mayor said. The net savings for the fire department will be $140,000; for the police department it will be $203,000.
Part of the start-up costs is the purchase of a fuel/fleet management system at the firehouse and the purchase and installation of a new security system for Borough Hall and the adjoining firehouse.
There is no definite date for the move for police dispatchers to the county.
Officials approved a bond ordinance at the council’s April 27 meeting providing for the acquisition of vehicles and equipment for the fire department, appropriating $250,000 and authorizing the issuance of $237,500 in bonds to finance part of that cost. The bond ordinance was adopted unanimously before a large audience at Borough Hall, some of whom came to speak, most who came to observe.
The public portion of the meeting saw several residents express their strong opposition to the plan to shift the dispatch services to the county.
Former Freehold Fire Chief Michael Burtt told the council he was “totally against closing the firehouse.”
As part of the plan to transfer the dispatch service, the firehouse will no longer be open 24 hours a day and that is upsetting to Burtt. He wanted to know why the bond cost was $237,000 when he was told the cost would be $50,000.
“I talked to cops in Freehold Township and Tinton Falls and they say it is a bad move,” he said.
According to council President Jaye Sims, the $50,000 figure cited by Burtt was an initial start-up cost. He said the $237,000 bond includes an upgrade in the fire pager system that activates and alerts firefighters. Part of the bond ordinance will also cover a new fuel/fleet system. There will have to be a swipe system for the fuel when no one is in the firehouse so firefighters have access to the fuel. A security upgrade for the firehouse is also included in that bond ordinance.
Reggie Sims is a firefighter with the department as well as a past president.
“I sat here and was told figures which are totally false. My question is why was this whole thing handled the way it was? The chief only found out a month ago. Why weren’t the plans given to us early on? There was no plan to circumvent this and work it through with the mayor and council. It’s not right,” Sims said.
Elizabeth Vimbor said Freehold Borough is her home.
“I don’t like the idea of our firehouse closing,” she said. “It’s always been open 24/7. It’s all about money. This is a small town and everyone knows everyone here. The perception of the firehouse being always open is a source of comfort.”
She said “it was a shame it had to come to this because of the economy. These are dedicated workers and they provide for us and help us in ways that cannot be replaced.”
Councilman Sims said he has found himself in a very difficult position. He is member of the governing body, he is an active Freehold Fire Department firefighter and he was a Freehold Fire Department dispatcher, a Freehold Borough police dispatcher and a Monmouth County dispatcher.
He said the dispatch situation was a “very tough decision” for him and for all of the council members.
Councilman Sims said he heard that residents are worried that county dispatchers are not familiar with the borough and will not be able to process the calls as quickly.
“They all know where Ramcat Alley (Clinton Street) is,” Sims said. “They know where Texas is. (Texas is the Center Street neighborhood area). You have four members of the governing board here who all have significant ties to the fire department.”
He said Councilman Michael DiBenedetto is an active member of the fire department. Councilman Kevin Kane was an active member of the fire department for 15 years. And Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer’s husband, Richard, was a member of the fire department for 30 years.
“The system might not be perfect, but it will work. Changing something that has been in place for 100 years is difficult. No one ever likes change,” Sims said.
Sims acknowledged that the decision to move the dispatchers to the county was an emotional one for him and “hit very close to home.” But he said he was elected to do a job and that includes making some tough decisions that are not always agreeable to everyone.
“We went back and forth on this issue, and there were disagreements among ourselves (the council) when the proposal first came up,” Sims said. “I cannot stress enough that this decision is based on our current economic climate.”
Sims said public safety is the council members’ No. 1 concern.
“We are trying as hard as we can to make residents of this town as comfortable as possible during these tough economic times,” he said.
Councilman George Schnurr said that in general, members of the public want their property taxes to be stable and he said achieving that goal of stable taxes usually involves making reductions in certain areas of the budget.
“It’s OK (to make cuts) until those cuts begin affecting them,” he said. “Many people may think we are picking on the fire department. That’s not the case. They are just the first to feel it. There will be more cuts. Every department in the borough is being scrutinized.”
Contact Clare Marie Celano