Granville fire chief, others concerned for future of Union Twp. contract

An idea floated by a Union Township Trustee to alter contract conditions under which the Granville Fire Department supplies emergency services to a portion of Union Township has raised concerns on the part of the Granville fire chief, as well as potentially affected residents.

One Union Township resident who is also an area officer holder, and whom lives in the potentially affected area currently served by Granville Fire Department, raised her concerns about the prospect for any change to that service at a recent Union Township meeting.

Amy Deeds, who is also a Granville Board of Education member, spoke out at that Aug. 1 meeting, stating she was “concerned about the status of the contract (between Union Township and the Granville Fire Department). I’ve heard there are potential plans for a change to how service might be provided.”

Deeds continued, “As an elected official myself, I know emphasis is (best) placed on cooperative services, not duplicating services.”

She also was concerned the idea of possibly changing conditions of fire service to her portion of the township was not receiving sufficient public discussion and therefore citizen input.

Union Township Trustee Charles Prince, who said he inaugurated the idea of reviewing existing contracts which are up for renewal later this year, said his proposals and ensuing discussions with Granville Fire Chief Casey Curtis and Granville Township Trustees had been conducted at previous Union Township meetings, but also noted those meetings don’t tend to attract much if any media attention.

Prince, who is also editor and publisher of the Buckeye Lake Beacon, added he didn’t think it appropriate for his newspaper to cover Union Township meetings.

Prince went on to explain he had raised the idea of renegotiating the agreements with Granville Fire and Hebron with the idea that money currently paid to both entities might be reallocated to at least partly fund a satellite station in Union Township with an eye toward improving response times in the area.

But Curtis has said that based on his and others’ analysis, Granville Township would suffer the brunt of revenue loss under such a scenario.

Deeds and Chief Curtis, who was also in attendance at the Aug. 1 meeting, questioned the need for a potential substation, arguing at very least a study should be conducted first to determine if a satellite or substation is warranted and would in fact be a practicality and safety enhancement.

Curtis echoed Deeds’ call for a study regarding a satellite station, but Prince said, “I’m not a big fan of paying someone from Cincinnati to go over the same data we can. We’re capable of looking at things.”

Deeds said, “I feel you need an awful lot of community input before trying to move forward with something that doesn’t need fixed. I’ve not heard any discussion of this.”

When Deeds asked if Union trustees had received any complaint about service or response times, Prince said no, but then added, “We’re trying to be proactive.” He said in terms of a potential location for a substation, it might be positioned somewhere in the area of Ohio 37 and Blacks Road.

“We would like to take $100,000 off the top of fire levy revenues to fund the satellite station,” Prince said.

Just after the Aug. 1 Union Township meeting, Curtis confirmed he had met on Saturday, July 28, with several concerned residents of Union Township who are currently served by Granville Fire.

Under current agreements, Granville Township services the area of Union Township north of the railroad tracks and Hebron provides service to the south of the tracks.

All three entities currently operate under equivalent millage of 4.8 mills. Granville has been providing EMS service to Union Township for at least 40 years, according to Curtis.

Curtis, who also lives in Union Township, said the resulting loss of income to the Granville Fire Department could have a direct impact on his services not just for Union Township, but also for the Granville Township and Village service area.

He argued Prince’s reallocation would represent something on the order of a 30 percent annual reduction in Granville Fire Department revenue.

That number is based on estimates made by the Licking County Auditor’s Office and Prince’s proposal, Curtis said.

Curtis also said it is wrong to consider moving tax revenue from one taxing agency to the benefit of another.

At the Aug. 1 meeting, Curtis also questioned data, assumptions and conclusions he sees as driving Prince’s proposal, and he expressed strong doubts about the efficacy and sustainability of a new substation.

Curtis said any desired improvement in response times driven by a satellite station would require that station to be staffed 24-hours a day, would not greatly improve response times, but would cost what he estimated to be somewhere between $600,000 and $900,000 a year to operate and staff.

Chief Curtis shared his skepticism such a station could even find other than full-time staffing given the existing competitive job market for EMS and volunteer firefighters in central Ohio.

“We’re struggling every day to find part-time firefighters and paramedics,” Curtis said. “We have to grow our (full-time) staff because we don’t have the volunteers or part-timers we used to.”

Curtis added if the goal for response time to every house in Union Township is four minutes, it would require something similar to the infrastructure and funding levels of the West Licking Fire District “where you have (multiple) stations and 11 mills,” Curtis said.

He further pointed out Granville Township is already meeting average response time criteria, but in a large rural area, there will always be some places that take longer to reach than others.

Granville Township officials have also stated that the coming relocation of the Granville Fire Station to South Main Street will shave another minute off response times to Union Township.

But the subject of fire districts rose again before discussion on the topic of fire contacts closed Aug. 1.

Prince said it had come to his attention Hebron officials are reportedly exploring the idea of forming a fire district, which would also have significant bearing on future EMS service agreements.

Prince noted voters would have to approve any shift to a fire district model, and then added that from his perspective, “I’m not a fan of fire districts, because of the threat of unionization. We can’t afford 11 mills out here.”

It was stated at the Aug. 1 meeting, approximately five months remained to settle on any new contract between Granville and Union townships.

The next Union Township Trustee meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 20, at 1380 Beaver Run Road.