Fire district: 'We don't solicit business'

The Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District Board of Trustees said they wanted to clear up "misunderstandings" regarding the proposed contracting situation with the city of Hillsboro, saying they have not even seen a written copy of the contract and that the city has made no official request for their services. The board said they were the ones who were approached by the city, and did not seek or campaign to persuade Hillsboro to use their services, saying, "We don't solicit business." 

However, if Hillsboro is serious about wanting to contract, board members said that have the ability to provide the services.

Half a dozen firefighters and some members from the Hillsboro community turned out Tuesday for the fire district board's bimonthly meeting at the district station in Greenfield.

Fire district board members said they wanted to make it clear that while they would be able to accommodate growth in their service area, they have not been presented with an official proposal from the city. 

All five board members - Dan Mathews, William Redenbaugh, Grant Palmer, Mike Erskine and Steve Karnes - were in attendance.

"There is a misconception the fire district approached the city of Hillsboro with a contract," Redenbaugh said. "That is 100-percent, unequivocally not true. We were asked (for information) like when Paint Township joined us. We don't solicit business." 

Hillsboro resident Richard Stiffler told the board that he was not a firefighter and that he attended the meeting because he had questions about the level of services that would protect his family if the proposed contract should go through, and specifically if they were in a position to provide "adequate staffing." 

"Yes, we are," said board president Dan Mathews. "If not, we will be. You will have the same services you have now." 

Mathews said that no decisions have been made regarding the proposed contract between the district and the city, and that "everything has been informational." 

Last week, Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings presented a proposal to members of Hillsboro City Council for the city to "dissolve" Hillsboro Fire and Rescue and contract for EMS and fire services with the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District. Hastings said that the proposed agreement would save the city an estimated $1,540,000 "compared to continuing operation of the fire department with an estimated $899,648 deficit and a capital costs/benefits/administration (CBA) deficit of $450,000," for a total deficit of $1,348,648.

Members of the fire district board said they have been in talks with the city, but they have received nothing in writing, and nothing official haa been presented to the board. 

When asked if they had read the proposal that had been submitted to council and to area media, several board members said that they had not. Paint Township representative Steve Karnes said that he had read portions of the proposal that had been printed in the newspaper. 

Redenbaugh declined to comment on whether or not the district's attorney has reviewed the proposal.

Stiffler said that there has been a lot of discussion over what the Hillsboro firefighters are paid, and he wanted to know how that will impact the situation going forward. 

"They built that fire station," Stiffler said of Hillsboro Fire and Rescue staff members. "They worked for what they got. I want to know if you can provide the staffing that will protect the people I care about. Won't the firefighters (at the Paint Creek district) want the same wages these men (at Hillsboro Fire and Rescue) are receiving now?"

Mathews said that the wages are negotiated with the union, and while the district was a different local than the Hillsboro firefighters, they were all part of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). 

Hillsboro firefighter Marc Bayless told the board that the last time Hillsboro Fire and Rescue was reviewed for their ISO rating, "it was suggested that we needed six on a shift. Are you prepared to provide six (qualified staff members) 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Because that is the service we were providing."

An ISO rating takes into consideration multiple factors in rating a fire department and can have an impact on the insurance rates paid by businesses and residents in the service. Since the Hillsboro administration laid off its part-time and volunteer firefighters earlier this year, the department has had approximately four staff members on per shift.

Mathews told Bayless that no matter what staffing level was required, it was a decision the board would leave to the discretion of district Chief Bradley George.

"That doesn't answer my question," Bayless said. "(The required) staffing is six, and has been deemed as such for our area by ISO."

Mathews said that if the district should decide they will contract with the city, "We will provide adequate staffing," for the area.  

Paint Creek firefighter Zachary Taylor asked questions to the board regarding why Hillsboro was being considered for a contract, while other townships had to join the district and pay the 5.5-mill district-wide levy. Mathews said that nothing has been decided yet regarding district expansion. 

The city of Hillsboro has proposed they pay the district 600,000 per year to contract with the district for the services. 

"We are a district, and everyone has a right to fire protection," Mathews said. 

Following the meeting, Redenbaugh said that the district wants to continue to improve its services, and that may mean increasing the size of the district. 

"And that may mean staying the way we are," Karnes said. 

Karnes said that the situation is not dissimilar from March, when Paint Township was seeking information on how to go forward with its EMS and fire services. The township ultimately chose to no longer contract with the city of Hillsboro for the emergency services, and to join the fire district.

"We're (the board) telling (the city) now what (the district) told us (Paint Township) back in March: We will do what we have to do to cover our district," Karnes said. 

"That's still our intention," Mathews said. 

Redenbaugh said the district's goal will always be to provide quality care to the people they serve. 

"No one has said, 'We want to join you,'" Redenbaugh said. "That has been indicated, but no one has acted upon it. We have been asked about it, but it has been strictly informational."

In other business, the board met in executive session for approximately an hour and 15 minutes for "real estate pertaining to station two."  

After entering back into regular session, the board voted to "continue negotiating on the half a dozen properties" that have been looked at for the possible construction of a second fire station. 

The board declined to say where the properties were located, except that they were all in Paint Township. 

Acquiring property for a second station in Paint Township has been in discussion since March. 

During reports to the board, Assistant Chief Chad Hamilton said that the district had received approximately "52-54 calls in the last four days." They are currently responding to "approximately 100-150 extra calls a month." 

Firefighter Mike Gilbert submitted his official resignation to the board to take a position with a fire department in Chillicothe. 

The board held discussions on purchasing an additional squad, but did not take action on the issue.