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Fire Chiefs: Consolidation Committee A Good Start
05/30/09
For Immediate Release
Saturday, May 30, 2009
St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 12 leaders are asking the state Senate to concur with a House resolution calling for a study of government consolidation in the parish.
HCR 174 by Reps. Tim Burns, John Schroder, Kevin Pearson and Greg Cromer cleared the House of Representatives Friday and now awaits Senate action. Under the resolution, a committee appointed by a broad range of public officials and economic interests must study the feasibility of consolidating government services and report to the Legislature in January 2010. Although fire service is not specifically mentioned in the resolution, public safety will certainly be a consideration for the committee.
“St. Tammany currently has 14 fire departments,” said FD12 Chief Darrell Guilott. “With varying levels of taxpayer support and serving communities from urban to rural, this system is not the most effective means for protecting and serving our public.”
FD12 has been a leader in consolidation efforts, working with the Parish and the 911 Board to undertake UniFire, a system of fire response dispatch coordinated by FD12 and serving 10 of the 14 fire districts. Consolidated dispatch systems like UniFire are but one step towards better public safety.
“When we more efficiently serve the public, we save tax dollars, lower insurance costs, and begin the long-overdue process of government consolidation,” said Ray Newton, FD12’s chief administrative officer. “The most important thing about this resolution is that it calls for study before action. Before any public entities merge services, there should be a broad cross-section of input to ensure there are no gaps in service.”
“We appreciate these legislators leading this effort through Baton Rouge,” said FD12’s Stephen Krentel, Chief of Training, Safety and Fire Prevention. “If the Senate approves this resolution, we look forward to working with the Consolidation Committee to assess these important issues.”
For more information about Fire District 12, visit http://www.fd12.org.
Media contact: James Hartman, 504.458.4600 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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