MONROE: Fire districts have one more chance

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
   MONROE — Monroe Township’s three fire districts will remain as separate entities for at least the next four years.
   Findings of the Fire Study Consolidation Study Advisory Committee final report were presented at the special council meeting on July 30 after 13 months of deliberations.
   Around 40 firefighters and representatives came out to hear the final report’s findings along with residents from the community.
   The committee decided to keep the three districts separate at this time pending a series of benchmarks to be achieved over the course of the next four years.
   ”The committee, after its deliberations, essentially came up with this recommendation,” said Wayne Hamilton, business administrator and committee chairman. “Failure to achieve those recommendations will re-trigger the evaluation of retaining the three districts.”
   The committee was appointed by Mayor Richard Pucci and comprises township officials, a councilman, chairs of each district board of commissioners, representatives of the local firefighters’ union International Association of Fire Fighters (I.A.F.F.) Local 3170, and volunteer companies, League of Women Voters and a township resident.
   Mr. Hamilton said the panel met 10 times during the last 13 months and reached a consensus regarding its recommendation.
   The original report was completed by Les Adams, president of Public Safety Solutions Inc. in May 2011.
   Mr. Hamilton said the per capita cost for fire protection in 2010 was $242.94 compared to similar towns costing $199.59.
   The top issue faced will be to hire a single, paid fire chief for the township.
   All of the fire districts would reimburse the township equal amounts for all of the payroll costs which would include the benefits and expenses of that position, according to the report.
   Additional cutbacks and other benchmarks would also need to be met for the three districts to continue, Mr. Hamilton said.
   District No. 1 is an all-volunteer service and its 2011 budget totaled $1.45 million. Its building is located on Harrison Avenue. District No. 2 is staffed by a combination of paid firefighters and volunteers. Its 2011 budget was $3.39 million. One station is located at 130 Applegarth Road, which houses volunteers, while the other station houses the career firefighters at 10 Halsey Reed Road.
   District No. 3 is staffed by career firefighters and its 2011 budget was $4.66 million. Their station is located at 16 Center Drive.
   Other benchmarks included one Master Labor agreement for all career personnel, consolidation of the Fire Inspectors into a single fire prevention bureau, aggressive recruitment and retention program, and joint purchasing between the Fire Districts.
   ”We wanted this committee to look at the raw numbers and budgets,” Mayor Pucci said. “So with what we have today, we can move forward in a very professional way.”
   Numerous residents and representatives addressed council with their concerns during the public comment session.
   Resident Allan Kahn lives in Fire District No. 3 and expressed a disappointment in the decision, but agreed that a single fire chief was a “needed” idea.
   ”We need some coordination, but you are giving this person a very difficult job by maintaining three independent fire districts,” Mr. Kahn said. “This guy is not going to be able to accomplish what I would like to see accomplished, which is a true unified service.”
   For resident Eugene Altbaum, the idea of three fire districts was “mind-boggling” when he said that everything else in the town consisted of one unit and gave the example of the schools as one.
   The first step in this process is for the council and the three districts to formally adopt a shared services agreement to hire of one chief with the hope of having the position in place by Jan. 1, according to officials.
   The fate of the three districts’ chiefs was not addressed in the report and Mr. Hamilton could not say what the outcome of that would be.
   The full report is available online for residents to view on the Monroe Township website at www.monroetwp.com.