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Ann Arbor Thinking Merger

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Seeking Better Utilization of Resources

THE CITY OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, HAS reportedly sent a proposal to neighboring Ann Arbor Township to consider merging their departments and resources.  AnnArbor.com is reporting today:

The city of Ann Arbor is in talks with neighboring Ann Arbor Township regarding a potential merger of their two municipal fire departments.

Ann Arbor Fire Chief Chuck Hubbard informed the city's firefighters this week, saying the city has given the township a written proposal and township officials are in the process of reviewing the offer. If and when they make a decision, Hubbard wrote in an email, firefighters will be informed.

Ann Arbor Township Fire Chief Rick Ericson confirmed the township has received the city's proposal and is considering it.

The Ann Arbor Fire Department has 86 full-time employees and a budget that totals about $14 million, which is significantly larger than the township's department.

The township's fire department has a $1.2 million operating budget. Its staff includes the fire chief and six other full-time employees, plus 10 paid on-call firefighters who come from home when called.

The Township fire chief told the reporter that it's been difficult to keep an adequate supply of on-call firefighters trained to do the job, and many of the good ones end up leaving for full-time jobs at other departments.  "People just don't have the community commitment they used to have," he said. "People these days just don't really want to do things for free anymore. And it used to be a more relaxed environment, whereas the requirements today for on-call firefighters are much stricter than they used to be."

City Fire Chief Hubbard is well-regarded in fire circles for his forthright assessments of the city's capabilities using their current resources and his innovative proposals to operate efficiently.  (See previous Firegeezer articles HERE and HERE.)

The township has two fire stations and the city has five stations in service.  Chief Hubbard proposed consolidating the five stations into three better-manned stations back in March, but the city has not acted on his suggestion.

Read the full story in AnnArbor.com HERE.

Ann Arbor Fire Department WEBSITE.
Ann Arbor Township Fire Department WEBSITE.

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Posted by on December 6, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, current events, Fire Rescue Topics • Tagged: ,

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Fire Chief Wants to Restructure

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Fewer Stations Without Layoffs

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, FIRE CHIEF CHUCK HUBBARD is expected to meet with the city council tonight (Monday) and present a plan to improve the fire department's response times and coverage of the service area.

Ann Arbor has seen its fire protection shrink in the past ten years with the closing of one of their six fire stations and a 30%  reduction in the number of firefighters on duty.  A recent study by the ICMA knocked the city for not meeting the minimum standards for responses and 2-in-2-out practice.

Chief Hubbard's plan which will be presented at an open meeting calls for the closing of two more stations and rearranging the apparatus to better utilize the staffing.  AnnArbor.com, the city's digital newspaper, reports:

Hubbard's restructuring proposal is aimed at making sure the fire department is better suited toward meeting national standards, including the NFPA rule that says four firefighters should arrive at a fire within four minutes 90 percent of the time, and 13 firefighters should arrive within eight minutes 90 percent of the time.

The proposed restructuring plan calls for positioning two engines, one tower, one mini pumper and one battalion chief at Station 1 downtown. Another two engines and one mini pumper would be positioned at Station 2, and one ladder truck would be positioned at Station 5 off Plymouth Road near the University of Michigan's North Campus.

Hubbard claims the staffing proposal enables four firefighters to be dispatched to most scenes within the recommended industry response times.

The chief's 15-page plan can be viewed HERE (.pdf file).

The full article in AnnArbor.com is HERE.
See related editorial on public safety cuts in Ann Arbor HERE.
Ann Arbor Fire Department WEBSITE.

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Posted by on March 12, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, Response times • Tagged: ,