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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-01-12 Work Session "'l MINUTES OF STAFF MEETING AND WORK SESSION JANUARY 12, 1995 PAGE 470 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners held a Staff Meeting on Thursday, January 12, 1995, at 8:45 A.M. in Room 501 of the New Hanover County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut street, Wilmington, North Carolina. e Members present were: Commissioners Sandra Barone; William A. Caster; William E.. Sisson, Jr.; Vice-Chairman E. L. Mathews, Jr.; Chairman Robert G; Greer; County Manager, Allen O'Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Chairman Greer called the Staff Meeting to order. Items on the Regular Agenda, Consent Agenda, and Water and Sewer District Agenda were reviewed and discussed with no action taken. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Greer adjourned the meeting at 10:10 A.M. Respectfully submitted, ~t(~ Clerk to the Board e WORK SESSION TO HEAR A PRESENTATION ON FIRE SERVICES FOR THE HIGHWAY 421 CORRIDOR, AND FUTURE FIRE SERVICES FOR THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF NEW HANOVER COUNTY ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners held a Work Session on Thursday, January 12, 1995, at 10:12 A.M. in Room 501 of the New Hanover County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Commissioners Sandra Barone; William A. Caster; william E. Sisson, Jr.; vice-Chairman E. L. Mathews, Jr.; Chairman Robert G. Greer; County Manager, Allen O'Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Chairman Greer called the Work Session to order and welcomed everyone present. commissioner Sisson, the Board's representative on the New Hanover county Fire Commission, introduced the following members of the Fire Commission that were able to attend the meeting: Mr. Gary 'Rowe, Mr. Roger Miller, and Mr. Jim Pittman. He reported Dennis Pinho, Chairman of 'the Fire Commission, could not attend because of a,severe cold. e, commissioner Sisson commented on the situation that occurred with the North Wilmington Volunteer Fire Department and reported the Fire Commission prepared a study to present an assessment of the cost and justification for providing a paid fire protection system to the industrial corridor on Highway 421 North. However, during the study, the Fire commission found the report did not address the interface with existing County Volunteer Fire Departments, other emergency serv1ce functions, and the Building Inspections/Fire Code Enforcement Division. For this reason, the Fire Commission expanded the study into a concept toward expected .needs of the fire service in New Hanover County for the next five 'years. He requested the Commissioners to keep in mind that the I ~ / I MINUTES OF STAFF MEETING AND WORK SESSION JANUARY 12, 1995 PAGE 471 presentation is conceptual and that many details will have to be worked out once a direction is established for fire service in New Hanover County. He requested the Emergency Management Director, Dan Summers, to begin the presentation. PRESENTATION OF FIRE SERVICE CONCEPT INTRODUCTION: Director Summers reported the purpose of the concept is to provide fire protection to the Highway 421 North Corridor and meet fire service demands that have occurred with rapid growth, which has changed fire service in the County from a rural operation to an urban operation. The reasons for dissolution of the North Wilmington Volunteer Fire Department were due to no neighborhood resources in the area; financial malfeasance; minimal industry and provider interface; unique fire fighting hazards, and transition from rural to urban/industrial. Presently, the County has seven competent Volunteer Fire Departments; one Fire Code Agency; eight Communication sites (911 and seven departments); seven training officers; one Fire commission Staff Liaison; and a Service area responsibility composed of 214 hazardous materials sites, 24 billion pounds of hazardous materials, single family households, miles of road, and acres of uninhabited forest and land. The main item to be addressed is the development of a fire service that will provide a consistent delivery system for the unincorporated areas in New Hanover County. This concept is not an anti-volunteer fire fighter issue, but development of a system that will meet service demands as a result of growth, utilize the efforts of the Volunteer Fire Fighters, who provide over 10 million dollars worth of manpower services annually, through fostering the volunteers'and providing career opportunities for local responders. ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR THE HIGHWAY 421 NORTH CORRIDOR: This industrial corridor can generally be classified as "high hazard" with moderate potential for a fire or hazardous materials incident. While this type of incident has not occurred, the potential is high ~nd there is great concern for the response time if a major incident should occur. The study recommends the formation. of a daily fire service with qualified and trained personnel to provide a,quick response to an industrial incident any time during the day or night. A fire inspector and fire suppression personnel should be located in the area to build rapport and confidence with the industries along the corridor. Fire Service administration, suppression, prevention, code enforcement, and pre-planning must become an integral part of the large industrial structure to insure appropriate incident response management. In order to implement the proposed fire service, financial resources and time will be needed. There should be a responsible county Department with a paid Fire Service Administrator responsible for implementing the program and coordinating fire service in the county. It is felt that a temporary contractor should be hired well in advance of implementing a program to have written policies and procedures that will adhere to OSHA and fire standards before hiring personnel. A facilities agreement with Cape Industries must be negotiated. cape Industries has maintained and secured the vacant building since dissolution of the North wilmington Fire Department. The Cape has been most generous to the County because they could have occupied the building as a training facility. It is not known how ~uch longer they will allow the building to remain vacant. Another major issue that must be addressed is equipment and apparatus acquisition, which is costly and will require personnel. o o o e e e ;,' ,r"" .:."' .,,'" >;. "':'f".'ll:;..-,r""""r'l"!"""~c", '" ""I .,~;, t' 1~:'~ MINUTES OF STAFF MEETING AND WORK SESSION JANUARY 12, 1995 PAGE 472 During the process of developing Corridor Fire Protection Plan, the Fire County operation versus. a city operation and cons: the Highway 421 North Commission did review a with the following pros CITY - Pro's Quick start-up with paid fire fighters and equipment. CITY - Con's Nothing for County Volunteer Fire Departments to show for investment. COUNTY - Pro's Investment in infrastructure. Spin-offs for Volunteer Fire Departments leading to improved services for all. One stop shopping for the business/industry and citizen. Minimal Cost Differences. COUNTY - Con's Start-up costs. Re-structure. Commission~r Sisson commented on a quicker start-up by,the city, but reported the City'S proposal still requires the County to .be,responsible for:purchasing the equipment. .,1: ,,' '." The current Fire Service Budget includes operational budgets for the seven Volunteer Fire Departments and monies transferred to general funds for support of the Forestry Program, the Emergency Management Fund for clerical support, Fire Code Enforcement, existing Debt Service on fire equipment, and the Radio/Tower Improvement. The annual operating budget is approximately $1.3 million to operate the seven Volunteer Fire Departments and fund the on-going projects. A 5% increase is estimated in growth. The revenue requirements are as follows: -Operational Budgets for the seven Volunteer Fire Departments. -Operational Budget for Highway 421. -Existing Debt Service and Radio/Tower Improvement Plan and Re~structure of Fire Code Division (Fire Prevention Officer III for '421~North). ~- .; -Emergency Management Clerical Support. < -Fire Administrator (50% General Fund/50% Fire Tax District Fund). ~v -Facilities and Office Space have not been addressed. , -Augment Volunteer Fire Departments with paid Personnel and Pay Per Call. , -Revenue Options: (1) No change from the current structure; or (2) increasel~he fire tax, which is now 2.5 cents. :~ ~;E7 ~ / MINUTES OF STAFF MEETING AND WORK SESSION-" JANUARY 12, 1995 PAGE 473 The final recommendations of the study are as follows: -Formal and physical re-structure. -Relocation and remodeling of administration, clerical, technical, conference and plan review, emergency operations, and training/communications. -Collect revenue to initiate services. o -Hire a Fire Administrator. -Re-structure the Fire Code. -Hire new personnel for 421 North. -Paid day time coverage for seven Volunteer Fire Departments. -Pay Per Call for volunteers in the seven Volunteer Fire Departments. -structured Management and Volunteer Opportunities. In summary, Director Summers emphasized the importance of being sure that funding needs for the other seven Volunteer Fire Departments are not negatively impacted by implementation,of the plan for the 421 industrial corridor. County Manager O'Neal presented an organizational chart of the proposed restructure of the fire service showing the Fire Service Administrator position and how this position correlates with the Inspections Department, Fire Code Enforcement, the U. S. Highway 421 Corridor4and existing Volunteer Fire Departments. Vice-Chairman Mathews inquired as to whether the proposed concept would provide one paid person per station per Volunteer Fire Department? o .,.. Director Summers .reported two people would be a minimum and three people would be more desirable because of absences due to training, sickness, vacation, etc. He stressed the importance of providing logistical support of a day time crew to enable the chiefs of the Volunteer Fire Departments to carry out their duties and responsibilities in a more effective and responsive manner. Discussion was held on whether the citizens are volunteering to serve as firemen. Mr. Gary Rowe reported winter Park Volunteer Fire Department had been fortunate because many UNC-W students volunteer to serve at this station; however, there is a large turn- over in the personnel, and in his opinion, not as many people are volunteering to serve. He reported as a volunteer holding a regular job ,paid personnel is badly needed to reduce the amount of time volunteers have to spend at the fire stations. He also commented on the difficulty in recruiting volunteer firemen to respond to a fire during work hours. He urged the Commissioners to consider a pay per call and paid day time coverage system for the seven Volunteer Fire Departments. Mr. Roger Miller, a member of the New Hanover County Fire commission, reported the plan presented is a concept and details would have to be worked out; however, the Fire commission believes the study does address the manner in which fire service should be prov1ded for the unincorporated areas of the county and on the 421 North industrial corridor. If a hazardous waste incident should occur, the County would not be ready to handle the situation. The plan presented was prepared to be phased in gradually beginning with the 421 North Corridor. The cost for coverage of this corridor will not disappear whether the County's fire service is expanded or whether the service is contracted with the city of o ~- ~ .~~1,;,t ~~ '" MINUTES OF STAFF,MEETING AND WORK SESSION JANUARY 12, 1995 PAGE 47'4 wilmington. The Fire Commission feels a plan should be implemented as soon as possible for this industrial corridor. e Discussion was held on the Fire Service District and the funds that will be required to cover the 421 North Corridor. Mr. Jim Pittman, a member of the Fire Commission, commented on the majority of the Fire District Tax being paid by people who do not live on the 421 industrial corridor and asked how the County will be able to justify implementing a plan for a full-time paid staff in this district and not in the other fire districts? commissioner Barone reported this type of plan will not work. County Manager O'Neal reported the County collects the tax from one Fire Service District and divides the money collected as needed, by each Volunteer Fire Department. This means that the wealth and burden are shared jointly by the residents living in the ,unincorporated areas of the County. The other option would be to establish individual Fire Tax Districts with a tax levied for each district according. to each district's needs. commissioner Barone recommended allowing the industries to participate in the cost of the fire service for the corridor. Chairman Greer commented on the need to implement a plan for the 421 North Corridor, but expressed concern for revamping the entire system and- doubling the cost of fire protection in New Hanover County to cover that corridor. He inquired as to whether the Board wants to 'move in this direction. e commissioner Sisson reported the Fire Commission chose to present the concept for the entire system because of the rapid tr~nsition that occurred from a rural to urban fire service. " Chairman Greer recommended considering the following factors before moving forward with the proposed concept: (1) What will happen to fire service in the unincorporated areas of the County with the proposed annexation by the City of Wilmington? (2) How much' money was allocated to the North Wilmington Volunteer Department and where are those funds being used currently? (3) How much will the city charge the County to provide this fire coverage to the 421 North Corridor? A review of the County's cost versus the City'S cost for contracting the fire service was held. It was concluded that the costs were basically the same because the City's proposal is based on the ,assumption that the County will provide the building for housing the personnel and equipment as well as the utilities, insurance, and maintenance of the structure. e Chairman Greer, inquired as to the amount paid by industries on the corridor to the city of Wilmington? commissioner Sisson responded that many of industries are small and do not contract with the City; however, Takeda does have a:60ntract with the city, , Chairman Greer reported, in his opinion, information should~Be'presented in order for the Commissioners to make an intelligent decision. " this type of Board of County ~, A lengthy discussion was held on whether the County should go to paid personnel for ",the Volunteer Fire Departments and the funds i~volved with the 421qNorth Corridor plan. Further discussion was " .. j / MINUTES- OF STAFF MEETING AND WORK SESSION ., JANUARY 12, 1995 PAGE 4.7 5 held on merging the City and County fire service. commissioner sisson reported, in his opinion, a paid/volunteer service is the most economical way to provide fire protection to the unincorporated areas of the county. COMMISSIONER BARONE EXCUSED FROM THE WORK SESSION Commissioner Barone informed the Board that she would have to be excused from the Work Session because of a prior commitment; however, she felt more time was needed to study the material presented and recommended deferring action until both the County and City proposals can be thoroughly reviewed. o commissioner Barone was excused from the meeting at 11:45 A.M. BREAK Chairman Greer called a break from 11:45 until 11:55 A.M. After further discussion, Chairman Greer reported if some of the industries on the 421 industrial corridor already have contracts with the City of Wilmington and pay the City for these services, in his opinion, these industries would be willing to pay the County. He recommended approaching the industries in the area to see if they are willing to participate in paying for a 24-hour fire service to help defray the cost to the County. Commissioner sisson reported he felt the response would be negative since all the industries are in the Fire Service District and pay the 2.5 cents Fire Tax. He reminded the Commissioners that many of the companies are small and do not contract with the city. County Manager O'Neal inquired as to whether the Fire Commission should make the inquiries as requested by the Chairman. commissioner sisson volunteered to make the inquiries. o Discussion was held on the need to hire a Fire Administrator as soon as possible to coordinate the existing fire service in New Hanover County. County Manager O'Neal reported on the outstanding job performed by Director Summers in working with the Fire Commission to bring about an excellent volunteer fire service, but stated an administrator is needed to allow Director Summers to spend his time on emergency management. commissioner sisson agreed with the County Manager and stated the Director of Emergency Management cannot continue to function as a Fire Coordinator and Director of Emergency Management. Chairman Greer commented on the need to further discuss this issue before hiring a Fire Administrator. Consensus: After further discussion, it was the consensus of the Board to request Commissioner sisson to contact each industry to see if they would be willing to participate in paying for 24-hour fire service on the 421 industrial corridor as outlined in the $640,000 plan as proposed. Commissioner sisson was requested to report back to the Board. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Greer expressed appreciation to the members of the Fire Commission for the time and effort given to prepare the study, and adjourned the meeting at 12:43 P.M. o Respectfully submitted, ~;<~ Clerk to the Board