Fire Department Study Moving Forward with Local Dollars

The Millburn and Summit fire departments are set to move forward with a study to examine more ways to share services, but it will be without state funding.

The two municipalities will be footing the bill of about $24,000 each, which was included in each budget. Local officials had applied for a state shared services grant, but they still have not heard if the funding is available. The fire chiefs first announced their plans for the study in June 2009.

The two departments already have an automatic aid agreement, share a dispatch center located in Summit and train together. The study will look for other areas to share services and also if there is a possibility to combine the two departments.

The first step is when representatives from Emergency Services Consulting International, the firm completing the study, visit the two communities next week. They'll meet with finance officials from both towns on Tuesday, Summit officials on Tuesday and Millburn officials on Wednesday. The meetings include sessions with the chiefs, union representatives, the finance officers and fire prevention staff.

The two fire chiefs brought forward the study in an effort to be proactive during hard economic times. Summit Fire Chief Joseph Houck said from everything he's hearing out of Trenton, there may not be any money available in 2010.

"It just killed me to hold off, everybody was on board with this project," he said. "It seems the funding has fallen out in Trenton."

Millburn Fire Chief Michael Roberts said it's bittersweet to be at the point the study starts because he wanted to do it before the budget crunch.

"I'm hopeful they'll have some worthwhile ideas," he said. "We already do a lot of sharing, but we're in the position where we may not be as creative."

It'll be important for officials on both sides of the border to be serious about the report no matter what is proposed, he said. There is a lot happening in the region, including the potential for Newark to layoff 100 firefighters and Berkeley Heights and New Providence potentially combining police departments. "We don't know what will happen with the fire service in the next three to five years," he said.

Houck also said the process should take about six months.

"By the time the report is available, we'll be knee-deep in the 2011 budget season," he said.

Millburn fire department officials also are waiting to see what happens with a proposal for Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Summit to combine dispatch centers. Millburn has been involved in the discussions although not as a full partner, and Roberts said he is examining all options for dispatch, including not being involved in the end result with Summit, Berkeley Heights and New Providence. Those options are both at the local and county level.

Houck said the working group has been meeting since a public presentation earlier this summer. Chief Roberts has attended some of these meetings.

"We would love for Millburn to be a full partner for police, fire and ems," Houck said. "We know we need to do something in Summit internally.  Having three separate dispatches for police, fire and EMS isn't the best way to do business. We have to do something. These seems like the most attractive option."

-Summit Editor Heather Collura contributed to this report.