Fire Protection alternatives

(This is a summary of possible alternatives for a Lakeland Fire Department. This was prepared as background information for the Lakeland Board of Commissioners. The information is based on estimates and averages for projecting costs. This is for informational purposes.)

Fire protection services for the City of Lakeland are currently provided by the Shelby County Fire Department. Lakeland residents pay fire fees to the Shelby County Fire Department. This has provided excellent protection for Lakeland residents and we do not foresee any changes in the near future. However, for planning purposes, we have to consider what would happen if the Shelby County Fire Department should be disbanded or merged. Our current contract provides for a one-year notice.

If the City of Lakeland is required to provide fire protection, or the BOC decided to proceed with a Lakeland Fire Department, there are several alternatives, including:

a. -A paid Fire Department

b. -A paid Fire Department supplemented by volunteers

c. -Volunteer Fire Department

d. -A private Fire Department

e. -Contract with another City for Fire services

While all of the alternatives have their advantages, I will present information on a paid full-time Lakeland Fire Department. I believe we could also supplement this Fire Department with volunteers. The demographics of Lakeland have changed, and I believe we now have the demographics of residents in the right age group to support volunteers and possibly even a volunteer fire department.

The cost of a full-time paid Fire Department in Lakeland is substantial, primarily due to our geographical shape and current transportation arteries. A general average figure I found is $125 per capita for fire fighting costs indicating a total cost of approximately $1,356,000. This includes a per capita ratio of 1.70 firefighters per thousand, or 19 firefighters. This does not include the cost of dispatching services.

However, due to our geographical structure, our Comprehensive Plan indicates we will need 4 fire stations. Several sources have indicated that a rough cost of $1,000,000 per station for yearly operations (not including capital costs), which would mean a total yearly cost of $4,000,000 or approximately $1,000 per household. Realistically, this is not likely, as we can use existing stations and alternatives to reduce costs. Currently, the “fire fee” from Lakeland residents and business raises approximately $1,400,000 per year.

As with Police Departments, Fire Departments have substantial capital costs. In addition to the construction of the Fire Station, the cost of fire fighting vehicles, protective equipment etc. easily is in the range of $1,000,000 per station (depending on decisions on what equipment is based at the station). Fire Departments also are high in personnel costs, including training costs, protective gear etc. In considering the high personnel costs, I recommend we again consider alternatives to avoid high personnel costs.

Some approaches we may wish realistically to review are as follows:

-Use of Volunteer Firefighters as a supplement to the full-time Firefighters.

-Developing Interlocal agreements with surrounding fire departments to mutually fill gaps in coverage to minimize fire stations.

-Consider contracts with other governmental entities as well as private enterprise to supplement gaps.

AMBULANCE SERVICE:

Currently, ambulance service is provided by a private ambulance provider (Rural Metro) through Inter-local Agreements with Shelby County, Arlington, Germantown and Collierville.

Due to economies of scale, this is probably the best alternative for the City of Lakeland to provide ambulance service.

In the event the City of Lakeland needed to provide ambulance, I would recommend that the Lakeland Fire Department take over the ambulance service. The salary for Paramedics is (base salary) around $47,000 per year plus benefits to start (some agencies are offering bonuses for new personnel), so this would be a very expensive proposition.

Recommendations:

I recommend a site be selected for Fire Station # 2 and consider a site for Fire Station # 3. Basically, the Site for Fire Station # 2 will be recommended for an area to serve the housing developments north of highway 70 and on the eastern portion of Lakeland as well as the developments by Chambers Chapel, Highway 70 etc. The BOC decision on a possible municipal complex will influence the final location decision. Based on our current situation, I do not recommend we consider constructing Fire Station # 2 unless we have an agreement with the Shelby County Fire Department to staff and equip the station.