They are still in the discussion stage but a new option is now being discussed; a joint fire district. This is something that has been discussed in the past but the city has always shot it down. A man from the IAFF and a guy from the local union spoke as did the fire chief, the EMS chief, the city auditor, Mick Maher, and George Luce.This issue has been red-hot in the comments section ... so if anybody else attended the meeting, feel free to add your perspective.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Greenville EMS meeting
The much-discussed Greenville EMS meeting took place Friday at the City Building. A Darke Journal reader attended the meeting and provided these details.
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I did not attend the meeting, but if the City is entertaining the idea of a joint district, it is indicative of the degree of their desparation. That option, which has always been the most efficient, has been vetoed many times by the City due to their stubbornness and resolve to not surrender even the least amount of power and control.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with a joint district is endless politicking and bickering by the same parties that can't get along now.
ReplyDeleteThey are the ones that would appoint a board to run it.
Correct me if I am wrong but once the politicians appoint the board do they no longer have any real influence other than to replace their appointees?
ReplyDeleteIndiana has started a few joint fire districts, and I can tell you that all you have to do is make a few phone calls to the officials involved in the formation of the joint fire districts and they will all tell you they REGRET it. The fire district in Randolph County is in the infacy stage, but it is already a nightmare!
ReplyDeleteFinally they are starting to realize where the problem is. Hopefully the politicians can get along and do whats right.
ReplyDeleteWhen Chief Wolf was asked how he was going to pay for the ems start up in the city. His answer was " I Don't Know". The city does not have the extra money for an ems start up. All of this is Mayor Bower's fault. He could of put a stop to this whole thing, before it even got started. Its time mayor Bower's runs the city, not the fire department. Next election, we need a mayor who will not be pushed around by the people under him. This has been nothing but a waste of time and tax payers money. Maybe our elected officials should be working on getting some jobs around here!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the joint fire district, in the long run it will be more miserable than anything.
ReplyDeleteRather than thinking of the patients & victims, there will be POWER & CONTROL. Remember the city allowing a firetruck to be stranded on Broadway during transition!! If joint fire was shot down in the past by city, why the interest now?? Makes you wonder what they have up their sleeves!?!?! I think this chapter should be closed, along with power struggle & bickering. No matter what, bi-gones will not be bi-gone!
I attended to EMS meeting and in the proposal they stated that they could fully equip a new ambulance for $ 135,000. If so where are they cutting corners. I have been told that Ansonia recently paid $ 160,000 for a new ambulance and they had to move all there equipment into it from the old unit. Something doesn't seem right.
ReplyDeleteMore information should be put in the local papers about the time and place on these meetings. 3PM in the afternoon does not work well for people who are working. Suggest that this is looked at.
The city has an outstanding EMS responder since 1975, and wanted nothing to do with the operation of the service. Now the city is going broke and the Township has a reserve in the EMS fund, and the city wants to take the service. Who is running the city? As yet no one has accepted responsibiility or been charged for draining fuel fron the TOWNSHIP eng.The city would not accept the Twp. offer($170,000?) to take ALL the Twp. fire levy money to continue the long time agreement with the city FD. Now they think they can start a new department and run EMS with no start up money, no equipment, no trained medics, no place to house the equipment. Who is running our city?
ReplyDeleteI think the city is postponing the inevitable, start by operating within your budget (we all have to) then if you rattle these ideas around in your head you could take the monies you get from the CO2 sequestering and use it to set up your own EMS and Fire Dept and then build a wall around it and just stay within your own little world so you have to do nothing but keep paying the same amount of money and not do anything to get it.
ReplyDeleteTownship Resident
ReplyDeleteAugust 9, 2009 4:36 PM
Obviously you did not attend this meeting. The idea brought up about the joint fire/ems district was brought up by your own twp. trustee.
This is not a new subject around here, several people want to make this sound like a "cure-all" but its a far cry from that. Without having all the facts, numbers and proof that this would work I wouldn't get the cart before the horse.
This subject has me concerned with the intelligence of most of the people in this entire community. People jump on the band wagon and go off half cocked, WHY???. My opinion is most around this area are scared of anything new.
If a fire district is formed it would put on its own tax levies independent of local Govt.
ReplyDeleteThat would free up 1.9 million dollar from the city budget.
With Todd Oliver being critical of the township's budget surplus would council in hand reduce the city taxpayers taxes?
I have my opinion about that, what's yours?
OK, can anybody confirm a rumor? I heard that the city has promised all second calls in the city, if the city takes over EMS, to Spirit Medical Transport.
ReplyDeleteI too take issue with the $135,000. That is the base price of an ambulance that most departments would find insufficient. Based on what departments in this area are buying, $150,000 for a new unequipped ambulance would be more accurate. Equipment would cost more. The LP 12 heart monitor used by nearly every department in the Miami Valley is $15,000 alone. Radio equipment would run $2,000 installed. Now add in splints, backboards, suction units, a cot, oxygen bottles, equipment bags, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteHey wait a minute. The Township is going to sell there ambulances to the city for a fair price. What a joke. Yeah I can see the Township Trustees doing that.
ReplyDeleteThe funniest thing I have heard so far during this political battle is when the IAFF rep said the Fire department can improve response times. Greenville Twp. Rescue does have full time personel who man the station, right?? Was there something in the feasibility study that I missed that would allow for an ambulance to fly?? That had to be embarrassing for the Fire Department. Maybe they should leave him at home the next time.
ReplyDelete"Hey wait a minute. The Township is going to sell there ambulances to the city for a fair price. What a joke. Yeah I can see the Township Trustees doing that."
ReplyDeleteAnd why should they. They have a top notch, well ran, award winning service. Why give up a good thing?
"This subject has me concerned with the intelligence of most of the people in this entire community. People jump on the band wagon and go off half cocked, WHY???. My opinion is most around this area are scared of anything new."
ReplyDeleteMy guess is they are afraid of the city fire doing a job they have, in my opinion, no business doing. Fear of something new is not the problem, fear of messing with something that works real well is. And insulting the intelligence of the tax payers is probably not a good idea. Again, just my opinion, signed
A taxpayer!
The problem is the trustees & the city fire chief. The old mayor skipped town. These people act worse than little kids. It's all me me me. The trustees can't seem to tell the whole truth, and only want to attack the city, the city needs a new fire chief who isn't on a power trip like the current one. No one wants to give up their power. It's time to consolidate, not keep creating new organizations. (County dispatch center could have been) ... I think the employees are afraid to speak up. It's time to clean house and get people who are mature and willing to actually do what is best in there. Check your egos at the door.
ReplyDeleteI'll second that (Aug 12 - 2:15am). Why do you think meetings are at 3p, it's on City time to get paid, & not taking in consideration for REAL people to be involved that have to work til 5pm. I suggest meetings be made @ 7p & given a few days in advance on this website so there can be a turnout.
ReplyDeleteYouve got to love small town politics.
ReplyDelete“Greenville EMS start-up discussions continue”
ReplyDelete”City and township officials at impasse on EMS levy issues”
This is the latest headline from the Greenville Daily Advocate on the EMS issue. I find it interesting that, in my opinion, the Advocate once again seems to side with the city and make the township look bad. The author of this story apparently did not look at all the facts and figures. What impasse? This was a one sided battle. The city wanted to do something that they have no money or, again my opinion, business doing. The township has a top notch service that is fiscally responsible. Why should they give it up, especially when you consider that no EMS experts and nobody from the township were consulted?
The results of the state audit, which is what seemingly stated all of this, did not indicate that the township was doing ANYTHING fiscally wrong. It just stated that MAYBE money could be saved by combing services. Yet the city turned this into a negative reflection on the township. Remember city officials, this was your audit, not the townships. Instead of truly looking at saving money ALL around they just looked at taking down the township. The cities feasibility study looked at ways to cut the EMS taxes and budget but not the fire taxes and budget which is not what the state audit implied. It was trying to find ways to reduce money all around not just EMS money.
So I say it is now time for city council to look at the fire budget. Maybe the city ought to look at downsizing their full-time force and bring in at least a few volunteers; more than the three they hardly seem to use. Maybe that would save the taxpayers a few dollars. When you have cities like, Tipp City, Englewood, Kettering, and Washington Township that use, volunteers and part-timers you have to wonder why our city needs so many full-time people and so much money. City council, look at the real problem here, not the perceived problem.
Is it true that the Greenville FD is looking in to the purchase of a New Ladder Truck? If so, I think this is why the City is in such poor financial shape. A New Ladder Truck has to be about a Million Dollars. I hope that I'm misinformed. What a waste of tax payers money if this is true.
ReplyDelete