Now that we have heard loudly and clearly from the voters, via a straw poll and millage referendums, that they no longer want their taxes wasted on decentralized, inefficient, independent fire districts, can we get on with the taxpayers' business and consolidate the fire and emergency medical services (EMS) operations into one independent district within Collier County?
The plain facts in this matter have become evident;
The deteriorating financial condition of the five independent fire districts is the direct result of accumulated decisions and actions made and not made, taken and not taken by the 21 elected fire commissioners that comprise the governing boards.
We are now faced with major decisions and actions that can no longer be kicked down the road. Commissioners can no longer talk about change, as they have for the past 25 years. They must now initiate change.
Taxpayers' money is wasted on eight separate fire chiefs, EMS chiefs, numerous assistant chiefs, deputy chiefs and the redundant support structure that is built around each of these organizations, including duplicate training services, fire commissions, advisory boards, medical directors, administrative staffs and assorted other officers.
Not one of these departments is large enough to handle a major emergency situation without support from the other entities in the county. One, however, of the departments, North Naples Fire & Rescue, currently employs an organizational structure that would be capable of providing administrative and leadership services to a countywide department, with selective use of other departments' support personnel.
Significant standby time is built into any emergency-response organization, during which emergency-response personnel are paid by taxpayers to be ready to respond to emergencies. Why in the world would we pay two groups of responders (fire and EMS) to wait in the same location to respond to emergencies? Collier County is not a high-demand, urban-emergency-response environment. Common sense dictates that we can strategically locate teams of highly trained firefighters/paramedics throughout the county to respond rapidly to a wide variety of emergency situations.
Taxpayers gain significantly when personnel resources are redeployed to street-level response units from redundant administrative support functions.
Simply put, we firmly believe that five independent fire districts, two county-dependent districts and a stand-alone Collier County EMS organization is not an effective and efficient use of taxpayers' dollars. It has proven to be financially unsustainable.
Today, the organization representing all fire and EMS operations, the Fire Service Steering Committee, will meet at Golden Gate Fire Headquarters, 1475 Collier Blvd. (239-348-7540) starting at 6 p.m. We are calling on our fellow commissioners — both fire and county — local union and government officials, and the general public to attend and take part in this important meeting and help us determine the scope and shape of a consolidated fire and EMS department. There is a better way.
The opinions expressed above are those of the authors and not necessarily those of our fellow commissioners.
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Comments » 4
angrytxpyr writes:
Its stunningly convincing to me that GGFD Commissioner Gerrity had an agenda other than the best interests of the residents, employees, visitors and TAXPAYERS by his actions so far as a GGFD Commissioner. This call to Consolidate pretty much seals the deal on this "wash ashore" bigger government is better "NINKOMPOOP" and he may very well be the driving force and the co-conspirator to the latest and all to obvious attempt to bankrupt the GGFD. Who appointed this MORON? Oh yeh he's got many years in the Fire service, was away from home 1/3 of his life, trauma in the streets, he's the voice of experience and all that other crap. SO WHY DID HE APPROVE A UNION CONTRACT THAT HE KNEW THE DISTRICTS REVENUE COULD NOT SUPPORT??? No Mr. Gerrity many residents of this County DO NOT want to reward ignorance and irresponsible behavior by the elected Fire Commissioners and individual Fire Administrations. Some Fire Districts have made some really tough decisions over the years NNFD about 11 years ago IMFD and ENFD did it last year but it seems that the elected officials and administration of GGFD simply refuse to put their house in order and on top of that they think the TAXPAYERS in other Fire Districts should foot the bill and reward GGFD's gluttony. Where are your FACTS Mr. Gerrity??? All I see in your words are "hot air", "speculation" and future "broken promises" just like the oath you took when you were sworn in as a Fire Commissioner, YOU MEAN NONE OF THEM. I certainly hope Mr. Gerrity doesn't resign anytime soon because I personally would get more enjoyment out of seeing the Governor remove him under a cloud of suspicion. The bottom line is Mr. Gerrity stood by, mouth closed and approved a labor agreement he knew district Tax revenues couldn't support, let spending go unchecked and in doing so he participated in the pending insolvency and service reduction of the GGFD in some idiotic attempt to push "Consolidate Collier" on County residents. That Mr. Gerrity is just short of criminal for any elected official to ignore their responsibilities they swore to accept...
angrytxpyr writes:
I apologize that I forgot the incredibly hard decisions made by Big Corkscrew Island Fire District. I don't know all the figures on that one but Damb it it was a huge hit for residents, employees and from what I understand personal sacrifice for Fire Chief Greenberg. You stepped up and did what you had to do, I respect that. Now Bob understand why I wont pick up the phone!!!
angrytxpyr writes:
I openly challenge the Editor to run this response to Mr. Gerrity' editorial!!! You want my name earn it!!!
Gerrity writes:
Dear Angry,
I'm not sure what you are so angry about, but you are deeply misinformed on many levels.
1. I have been a Fire Commisioner for about 3 years now. I was first appointed to a vacant seat by the current board, then elected to the position.
2. The only contract I voted to ratify included major concessions from the Union. Our firefighters are among the lowest paid in the county. We have no ongoing pension problem, as all our employees are coverd by the Florida Retirement System, which is among the best funded pension systems in the country.
3. The very accomplishments you praise from BCIFD and IFD are the types of consolidation I am pushing for. I have proposed merging administartions, sharing apparatus and facilities and eliminating redundancy.
4. The Ad Valorem Value of the property in the District is now half of what it was in 2007/08.
5. This current board is saddled with fiscal obligations entered into by previous boards, especially the $6 million expenditure on Fire Station 73 and new Fire Headquarters.
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