Fire Service Facilities

Should the paid fire crews take every fire call and leave the volunteers at the stations to run medical calls?

This Thursday's County Commission meeting will have an important discussion about a fire service facility in Escambia County that desperately needs mold remediation and some other repairs. 

This meeting topic, how to fix the Myrtle Grove fire station, is just one conversation of many that need to be taking place in the months to come, in my opinion. 

While Myrtle Grove's facility deficiencies are unique to Myrtle Grove---seven other fire houses in the county (that like Myrtle Grove are not owned by the county) have various issues that will need to be addressed at some time in the near future.

So what is the best way to address these facility problems, knowing the county won't spend money on facilities the county doesn't own?

One option, the expensive one, is to buy these facilities outright from the volunteer fire departments that own them currently.  Next, such facilities could be demolished and new fire houses built at a cost to taxpayers of around $2-$3Million dollars each.  This is the option I favor the least....

A better option, in my opinion, is to allow the volunteer departments to keep ownership of their property and facilities, with the county coming in to remediate these facilities' deficiencies in exchange for  long term use agreement (s) for the county to use these stations. 

This option is less expensive, and I believe it will also serve to compel the career staffs that will in some cases be operating out of these locations to better cooperate and interact with the volunteer staffs that also operate out of these stations.

What do I mean by this?

Right now, the volunteer firefighter numbers are dwindling.  Many I have spoken with have shared with me that they worry they will be "forced out" when career crews come to man their stations.

Volunteer firefighters have the same certifications and training as their career counterparts--yet these personnel cost a fraction of what career firefighters cost in terms of salaries, benefits, and pension costs. 

I'm told one 12 man paid, career crew costs taxpayers $1Million dollars per year. 

So we should be treating the volunteers very well, we should thank them for their willingness to serve, right?  Unfortunately, in some instances this is not happening.

"We're treated like second class citizens" one veteran volunteer shared with me.  "When the new career guys arrived, they started taking all the fire calls, leaving us at the station to do medical