TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Tallahassee City Commission is moving forward with a “separation” where the fire department will stop providing services outside the city in 2028.
City staff say this separation will allow the city to provide a higher level of staffing and response time once they no longer respond to the county.
The city manager and fire chief said TFD plans to retain all of the firefighters currently employed by the department.
By consolidating fire stations and area, the chief said the department will be able to meet national goals in response time and the number of firefighters on each car.
However, the department will lose about $15 million currently provided by the county each year.
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Multiple commissioners said they hope “cooler heads” would prevail in this dispute between the city and the county, though none of the commissioners in the majority suggested undoing the vote.
Tallahassee Fire Chief Gene Sanders said safety is the most important thing.
“What’s most important to me is the safety and welfare of our employees and our ability to deliver high, top-tier service. When I said no, it wasn’t my recommendation [to separate], my recommendation is whatever is best for my employees.” Sanders said.
Under the contract between the city and county, the city will sell the fire stations and equipment from stations 10-14, which are located outside the city, at a depreciated rate.
City staff acknowledged there would be legal and other issues to work through before the separation occurs in 2028.
If the city does retain all of its firefighters, that would mean Leon County would need to hire dozens of firefighters by 2028, and negotiate a sale price for those stations.
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