Star-News
WILMINGTON, N.C. — A consultant who studied the possible consolidation of the Wilmington and New Hanover County fire departments spoke Wednesday in a pair of public input sessions.
At the behest of the city and county, Emergency Services Consulting International studied both fire departments. The firm’s recently released study concluded that consolidating the departments into one entity is in the best interest of both the city and the county.
Speaking Wednesday at Halyburton Park, ESCI’s Kent Greene praised both departments.
“Both of these organizations are operating at a very high level,” he said.
The departments already work together and future cooperative efforts are feasible, he said. He outlined different ways in which the departments could further that cooperation.
The departments could, for example, consolidate specific functions such as enhancing automatic aid, combining administrative and support services or through joint purchasing, he said.
In a scenario he called an operational consolidation, the departments would remain two organizations but a common board would make decisions about service delivery and funding.
Or, the departments could simply merge into a single entity. If that is the will of local leaders, Greene said further analysis is necessary to determine how to proceed.
“It is not a quick process,” he said. “And it’s not an easy process.”
The input session mostly drew local officials, including City Manager Sterling Cheatham and County Manager Chris Coudriet, in addition to firefighters.
It also drew Wilmington resident Cathy Shipton, who acknowledged she is biased in favor of the city’s fire department.
Shipton questioned why the city would want to merge when its department has a longer history, more stations and more firefighters. “I’m not trying to bash the county department,” she said in the meeting.
Afterward, Shipton told reporters she had read much of the report. She compared the fire merger discussions to the creation of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, formed in 2008.
At the time of the utility discussions, residents didn’t realize the ramifications of a merger, she said. She is frustrated by the leadership structure of the CFPUA, which has an appointed board.
Shipton does not object to the two fire departments working more closely together, but she wants them to stay separate.
“I don’t want my city fire department gobbled up,” she said.
The consultant is set to make a presentation to the county commissioners on Nov. 17 and to the city council on Nov. 18.
In November 2013, the city council voted unanimously to approve the $50,000 study. The county covered $30,000 and the city chipped in $20,000.
County Commissioners’ Chairman Woody White has said he wants to see the departments consolidated for better services at a lower cost.
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