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Townships may form new fire district

Mechanicsburg also would be part of the combined operation.

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By Matt Sanctis, Staff Writer 9:58 PM Wednesday, January 25, 2012

URBANA — Several townships and a village will pay for a study to determine the most cost-efficient way to provide fire and emergency medical services in the face of rapidly rising costs.

The study would review current services and costs in the county and could eventually lead to the creation of a new fire district covering all of Goshen, Union and Urbana Twps., the southern border of Salem Twp. and Mechanicsburg.

Lewis Terry, an Urbana Twp. trustee, said rates for fire and EMS service increased from about $67,000 in 2010 to more than $151,000 this year. Officials in Union Twp. recently signed four contracts that led to an increase of more than 60 percent.

“We all recognize there’s a problem, and we have to address it,” said Greg Kimball, mayor of Mechanicsburg.

Urbana city officials said the rate increase was necessary because while the townships had paid for fire protection in the past, they had received EMS service for free. But as the economy worsened and the city’s budget became more strained, it was no longer possible to continue those services at no cost.

Retired Chief Stan Crosley of the Ohio Fire Chief’s Association Inc. said his agency could conduct a study of the region’s fire and emergency medical services for between $5,000 and $20,000. Local officials asked Crosley to determine exactly how much it would cost to conduct the study. Each entity would likely pay a portion of those costs.

Terry said it’s not clear if a new fire district is the best option. But the townships have a responsibility to do the research, he said, and let residents decide how they want to pay for services.

“It’s something where we have to provide our community with an option,” Terry said.

Kimball said because the city of Urbana and local fire districts each operate under different rules and fees, a lot of details would need to be worked out if a new fire district is created.

Crosley said the study would review a wide range of factors, including response times, operational services, equipment needed and other items.

Once the study starts, a draft of the report would likely be available to the townships in about 90 to 120 days.

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