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The town\u2019s lone fire station, located next to town hall. [New Pelican]<\/p>\nThe town\u2019s lone fire station, located next to town hall. [New Pelican]<\/p>\n
By John Hayden | New Pelican Writer<\/p>\n
LBTS \u2013 It has been a year since Pompano Beach Fire Rescue told the town it\u2019s terminating its contract. Since last summer the town has been paying the \u201ctrue cost\u201d of service, which is much higher than the original agreement. There is no set date for the official end of service, which isn\u2019t likely until sometime well into 2027.<\/p>\n
But changing public safety providers isn\u2019t as simple as switching a phone carrier. You can\u2019t do it in an afternoon, you have to buy your own equipment and, most importantly, they have to want you as a customer.<\/p>\n
At a special workshop on Feb. 10, commissioners and staff heard proposals from Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue and the Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office (BSO). Among the issues they discussed were cost vs. service. This is the start of a process that will undergo lengthy and detailed negotiations.<\/p>\n
Here is a breakdown of the town\u2019s issues and options at this moment.<\/p>\n
BSO Fire & Rescue<\/p>\n
Fire Chief Timothy Keefe gave BSO\u2019s presentation, and described the possibility as, \u201cA perfect marriage in the making.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first year costs would be about $8.3 million and annual increases capped at 5 percent with some benefits tied to actual costs; at least three person-engine and rescue staffing along with a battalion chief for critical incidents; full fire suppression and Class 1 ALS EMS transport and technical rescue and hazmat provided at first responder level, with regional teams for escalation; public education and CERT support provided on a regional basis; as well as governance and oversight.<\/p>\n
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue<\/p>\n
Chief Stephen Gollan presented Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue\u2019s proposal, which comes with a year one cost of about $6.8 million with negotiable six percent increases.<\/p>\n
There will be a minimum three-person engine and rescue staff with two paramedics required on both units. A battalion chief will respond to critical incidents; a full fire prevention bureau with inspector and support staff; technician-level hazardous materials and technical rescue capability; robust public education programs (CPR, stop-the-bleed, car seats) along with Community Connect vulnerable population registry.<\/p>\n
Other ideas<\/p>\n
Commissioner Richard DeNapoli suggested other possibilities. Fire control districts are where several municipalities join forces and create one provider for the area. This is most common in rural areas and would likely take years to get clear administrative, political, and equipment hurdles.<\/p>\n
He said he talked with officials in Pompano and reported they are open to exploring a deal where they would cover part of the town, leaving Lauderdale-By-The-Sea to find a second partial partner. After this meeting, Pompano Beach sent an email to Town Manager Ken Rubach saying the city is not bidding for any contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n
DeNapoli also suggested bringing back the town\u2019s volunteer fire department, which was dissolved to make way for Pompano Fire Rescue. This would require setting up its own administration, covering insurance and more. These would be covered by either of the submitted proposals.<\/p>\n
Physical and financial issues<\/p>\n
Fire-rescue services will cost double what is budgeted this year, about $4 million. The costs are paid from the fire assessment and general fund, and it is likely that the fire fee will increase and property taxes will go up. Businesses are charged by the square foot and there are concerns that will push out existing businesses and deter future investments.<\/p>\n
The town also needs a new public safety building. The current one can\u2019t house the town-owned fire rig and is generally considered small and too out of date to provide quick, modern fire rescue services.<\/p>\n
Vice Mayor Randy Strauss asked if the town could forgo a new building and BSO or Fort Lauderdale would respond from existing, nearby stations. Long-time residents, however, remembered a devastating 1991 fire in the town, which serves as a reminder that every second counts.<\/p>\n
Keefe diplomatically said BSO would need to see progress on living conditions in the building. Gollan said Fort Lauderdale evaluated the existing building. However, one source told The New Pelican that they know it\u2019s \u201ca mess.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both proposals would require the town to buy a new rescue (EMS) rig. That will cost at least $600,000. There is also a years-long backup to get one.<\/p>\n
With the starting points now well-defined, the town will work with both potential partners to refine agreements. Once a provider is chosen they will begin a process of transferring responsibilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The town\u2019s lone fire station, located next to town hall. [New Pelican] By John Hayden | New Pelican…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250],"class_list":{"0":"post-161268","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-lauderdale","8":"tag-fort-lauderdale","9":"tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","10":"tag-fort-lauderdale-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}