FIRE CONSOLIDATION CAN SAVE MILLIONS, REPORT SAYS...

Study: Consolidation would save millions
By Richard Liebson • rliebson@lohud.com • July 1, 2009


Homeowners and businesses in 10 Westchester communities could save an estimated $47 million a year in fire insurance premiums if their fire districts consolidated, according to a study being released today by Pace University's Edwin G. Michaelian Institute for Public Policy and Management.





"Fire Services of Southern Westchester County: A Case for Consolidation" was commissioned by the Westchester County Career Chiefs Association in 2005 to determine whether a merger of the departments would provide better protection at a lower cost.



The study, paid for with a $56,000 state grant, found that while joint purchasing agreements might help the departments save about $100,000 a year, "consolidation would significantly improve fire prevention and suppression services with the potential to save substantially more money over time."



Keith Fennelly, president of the chiefs association and a retired Eastchester fire chief, said the Pace report "will serve as a footprint as we move forward."



"It will remain a work in progress - now all of the chiefs, union officials and others will have a chance to study it and decide how we will proceed," Fennelly said. "Our goal in asking for this study was to see what we could do to provide more efficient, cost-effective fire service in our communities. We do a good job now. Let's see if we can do better."



The study looks at the staffing and operations of the Eastchester, Fairview, Greenville, Hartsdale, Larchmont, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Pelham, Pelham Manor and Scarsdale fire departments. Combined, those departments protect almost 250,000 people in an area of about 50 square miles. "If this area were a city it would be the third most populated city in New York State," the report says.



The study says consolidation would create more effective and efficient fire services and save money by cutting duplicate staffing, equipment and facilities. The streamlining could result in better insurance ratings and lower fire insurance premiums, it says.

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The 10 departments operate 130 vehicles out of 25 fire stations staffed by 604 firefighters and 24 civilian employees at a cost of about $88 million a year.



Individually, not all of the departments can meet fire response standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association and other organizations.



By combining, the report says, the standards could be met with considerable savings.



For example, the NFPA recommends that the first engine arrive at an alarm within four minutes and that 22 firefighters be on scene within eight minutes.



That's not always possible under the current configuration, the report says. If the departments combined and duplication of equipment was eliminated, however, the standard would be met at an equipment cost savings of about $1.7 million.



"The timeliness of this study cannot be overstated, given the state of the economy, the need to improve service delivery, and especially the recent consolidation legislation adopted by the state of New York," said Michael Genito, director of the Michaelian Institute.



The report is to be released at an open meeting at 1 p.m. today at the Pace Graduate Center auditorium, 1 Martine Ave., White Plains.





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