Options Presented For Fire Protection

The city of Canton is in negotiations with the county on trying to come up with a solution to providing fire service for unincorporated areas around the city, but if an agreement can’t be reached by the end of the year fire protection may be pulled.

Currently the Canton Fire Department responds to an approximate 80-square mile area around the county, and of the approximate 1,000 calls the department gets annually, half are out in the county calls Canton Fire Chief Charles Bazhaw said.

Talks began last year and have continued on coming up with a solution to a growing problem of providing adequate fire service.

Currently the Canton Fire Department’s fleet is comprised of a fire engine, two brush trucks, a booster truck and a command staff vehicle.

Being the only paid fire department in the county, it staffs a minimum of two personnel 24-hours a day seven days a week with a mixture of full-time, part-time and volunteer staff.

During last week’s Canton City Council meeting, Canton Fire Chief Charles Bazhaw spoke to the council concerning an interlocal agreement proposal with Van Zandt County for the provision of fire services.

According to a press release from the city of Canton, "In April 2009, a small group of city and county residents met several times to discuss a possible funding solution. Ideas ranged from an Emergency Services District (ESD), to increased county funding. In May of 2009, talks between city administrators and county officials began to discuss options."

Bazhaw said that in order to provide "a more equitable" relationship with Van Zandt County to provide fire service to unincorporated areas, he had two proposals to bring to the table.

The two contracts submitted to the city council would begin January 2010, but the department would still provide mutual aid at no cost.

The fire department would provide a monthly report to the county and at the beginning of the contract either party has a 30-day out clause.

The first proposal, based on a per call basis, and the other would be based on an annual contract paid out in one lump sum.

The difference in the two contract proposals would include a $400 per run or call dispatched by the county, or alternate B which is $140,000 per year fire service proposal.

"The county would have no interest in Canton Fire Department, equipment or any of its employees," Bazhaw told the council. "It would be operating as an independent contractor only."

Currently the city of Canton provides an annual operating budget of $408,000 to the fire department, and the county provides $4,800 annually.

City manager Andy McCuistion requested the council allow him to negotiate a contract with the county.

When questioned about the $140,000 annual fee, Bazhaw said it would cover the debt service and salaries for the department. Originally Bazhaw had wanted to make the annual fee proposal $170,000.

"If we are dispatched by the county, or if we are called by the county then it counts," Bazhaw said about the contract.

"My thoughts on the annual contract, as far as budgeting purposes is, as long as there is a 30-day right to withdraw I don’t know that we need to be counting on that $170,000," council member Clay Nicklas said. "My opinion is the per call basis is much more equitable."

"You are setting things up so you are available," council member Ross Maris said about the annual proposal. "You can’t budget based on runs."

Mayor Rusty Wilson said the council needed to give McCuistion a tool to work with by allowing him to negotiate up to $400 per call or up to $170,000 per year.

When asked if Bazhaw had spoken to other cities about their contract, he said the city of Lucas, which has a population of approximately 3,000, gets $320 per call from their county.

Dallas County gets $350 per call, and Rockwall County gives the city of Rockwall $70,000 per year.

The council unanimously approved the proposals.

In a press release provided at the council meeting it states that, "If the city and county fail to reach agreement by December 31, 2009, the city will be forced to discontinue providing fire service in the unincorporated fire service area surrounding the city of Canton."

It went on to state, "The city will continue to work with the county and/or the county residents to find a solution to this serious issue, but the city can no longer afford to provide service without adequate funding."

Bazhaw and McCuistion had a meeting with two county commissioners Monday to discuss some solutions to the fire protection funding problem and discussed a three or five year plan.

"We just want to bring this up to an equitable solution," Bazhaw said. "Our next plan is to present figures and timelines to the commissioners."

"We want to find a solution," McCuistion said Tuesday morning. "The council authorized me to negotiate a fixed rate or a rate per call. We are going to meet with the commissioners and let them know that is what it would take to make us whole."

McCuistion said Canton is not the only city with this problem, and with the growing funding issues of trying to staff a department which serves a large portion of calls out in the county more compensation is needed.

"We can’t afford to do it anymore," McCuistion said.