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Baldwin study: Fire service cost would rise with own departmentBy Joel Stottrup Baldwin Township's feasibility study on whether it should form its own fire department projects that it would cost property owners in Baldwin $68 per year per parcel. The town board said that is $13 more than what the board projected Baldwin parcels would eventually pay per year if it continued being served by Princeton Fire and Rescue. Although the city of Princeton has no plan for building a new fire station, according to City Administrator David Minke, little more than a year ago it had talked about building one and that the cost per parcel in Baldwin would then be approaching $60 per year. Currently Baldwin parcels are assessed about $40 per year. A lot has happened in a year. A majority of residents in the Baldwin town hall during the annual township meeting last March passed a motion to have Baldwin seek a joint powers agreement with Princeton. The kind of agreement was one in which Baldwin would have a vote in how Princeton Fire and Rescue is run. Princeton City Council members rejected such an agreement and instead persuaded the townships the city serves to form a fire advisory board. Council member Paul Whitcomb, who chairs the board, said at last Thursday's council meeting that the latest monthly advisory board meeting had come up with some constructive ideas. Baldwin has not only continued to ask for a joint powers agreement but went farther at its Jan. 7 meeting by passing a resolution enabling it to start what it is calling the North East Sherburne Fire Department. Sometime after the annual meeting last March, the Baldwin board formed a citizen fire advisory committee to look into the feasibility of starting a fire department. During the past year Baldwin officials met with Livonia Township officials about joining that township in such a venture. But so far Baldwin has only proposed a department of Baldwin firefighters and equipment. Supporters of the proposal have said it could save township residents money and could also place a fire station closer to the residents. Others have questioned if it would save money and have called for staying with the present coverage by Princeton Fire and Rescue. And others have not made a decision, seeking more information. Baldwin's annual meeting moved to larger location The subject of what to do, including whether Baldwin residents should have a voter referendum on the subject, is likely to be discussed at the March 12 annual meeting. Baldwin supervisor Jess Hall has said it is feasible someone could pass a motion at the annual meeting to appropriate enough money to start a fire department. It is not known if the board would call for a referendum, though Hall said last week the board is inclined against that. The Baldwin board, anticipating a large crowd at the March 12 meeting, has moved the meeting place from the township hall to the Princeton Evangelical Free Church gymnasium. No mention was made about changing the voting location, which is traditionally at the town hall. Feasibility report The feasibility report, some of which was released during the Feb. 4 meeting, gives more of an idea what the Baldwin board is looking at in starting its own department. Here are some facts from the report: ï A 78x78-foot building at the Baldwin Town Hall property, with the possibility of four overhead doors on each end. ï One late-model pumper truck with a 6- to 8-person cab and a 1,250-gallon-per-minute pump and 750- to 1,000-gallon tank. ï One "earlier" model pumper with a 750- to 1,000-gallon tank. ï Two tanker trucks - one late and one earlier model, each with a 2,000- to 3,000- gallon tank. ï One late-model 4x4 grass rig fire truck with four-door cab. The report also calls for some underground tanks of 6,000 gallons each, "placed strategically throughout the township." No mention is made of how many but Hall said there would be about six. The committee estimated the cost of trucks at $195,000, equipment at $103,985, the bare building at $150,000, well pump and screen at $5,000, landscaping at $1,000, blacktopping at $5,000, boiler for in-floor heating at $1,000, aprons and sidewalks at $2,000, and contingencies at $25,000. The building would be of pole construction with 16-foot sidewalls, insulation, fully metal lined and have a six-inch concrete floor with in-floor heating. Overall cost of the building was listed at $189,000 when including the other items. Under the heading of training, the report listed 31 people as having to be certified as completing Firefighter I training at a cost of $350 each. It said annual instruction by an outside source is required and that the department would hold weekly meetings for training, primarily conducted by in-house instructors. Training would include firefighting, rescue and first responder skills at the minimum. The equipment list shows 12 sets of breathing apparatus plus a Cascade system, 12 spare air bottles, turnout gear, pagers and radios, and many other firefighting items, including a couple of Sawzalls, a metal shear and a Jaws of Life hydraulic device. The report estimates that if Baldwin continues having Princeton for its fire and rescue provider, it would pay $90,684 by year 2003 compared to the current $60,900. The committee's report also shows the township parcels paying a higher amount under a Baldwin department than if it stayed with Princeton. The committee summary of start-up costs for Baldwin is $487,985, leaving annual payments of $46,805 for a term of 20 years assuming an interest rate of six percent. Under annual operating budget, the report shows $65,605 going for operating costs, of which $11,500 would be for insurance, $15,000 for a chief, $14,105 for paying 34 firefighters $7 per hour times an estimated average of 65 calls, $15,000 for training, $10,000 for vehicle maintenance and a question mark for a firefighter relief fund. A list of duties was also made for the fire chief, including public relations, daily inspections and maintenance of trucks and equipment, writing mutual aid contracts, making reports, requesting grants, overseeing possible other contracts, responsibility for daily operations and reports to governing powers. A section on firefighters states that 35 people have spoken that they would be a firefighter on the Baldwin department and that they would have 51 years of firefighting experience. Among the experience would be six certified first responders and one certified emergency medical technician plus others in need of recertification. Discussion at Feb. 13 meeting The Feb. 13 meeting was calm, with only six people in the audience, compared to the meeting nine days earlier when the room was filled and arguments broke out. The Baldwin board on Feb. 4 subsequently tabled the fire update discussion until the Feb. 13 meeting. Baldwin board members spent much of their fire discussion on Feb. 13 focusing on costs but also examined such particulars as where Baldwin firefighters would work and their response time. The committee said it knew of 35 firefighters willing to serve on the department who are within four miles of the proposed Baldwin station. Five would be within one mile, eight would be within two miles, 12 within three and 10 within four. It was estimated it would take three of the firefighters 10 minutes to get to the station but that eight could be there within three minutes. Six would arrive within four, eight within five, four within six, four within seven and two within eight. The report did not say at what time of day the response time would be. Looking at facilities, supervisors said the town hall would be used for restrooms and for the classroom. When it came to financing, chairman Jess Hall said he understood fire departments starting up are eligible for certain federal grants. But the township is not figuring grants into the budget, Hall said. Supervisors raised the question whether the department, if formed, should bill the insurance companies of auto owners in accidents or of homeowners when responding to residential calls. Hall said he could agree with going after the car insurance companies for related costs incurred by the department and that he didn't see any huge problems with at least trying to collect from homeowners for calls at residences. That's what people pay insurance for, responded Supervisor Lester Kriesel. When Hall noted that there was one home in Baldwin that had a fire last year, he said he hadn't meant to "belittle" Princeton firefighters when he asked them at a previous meeting if they had gone to that same house more than once to deal with its fire. The fire that reignited burned through the floor that had been saved after the initial fire. Hall said that reignition of a fire can happen to anybody and that he was only trying to clarify the number of runs into Baldwin for house fires in 2001. The Union-Eagle asked Hall after last week's meeting if Baldwin would be gaining anything cost-wise if the per-parcel cost for Baldwin residents could be higher than if it stayed with the Princeton department. Baldwin said he thought Baldwin would still be ahead because Baldwin firefighters would give priority to Baldwin fires. Also, Baldwin would have equity in its own station at the end of 20 years, he said. Some Baldwin supervisors expressed a sense of urgency during their Feb. 13 meeting about starting a Baldwin fire department. Hall said he understood the city of Princeton would not renew a fire contract with Baldwin for next year. If it did, the city wants it to be for at least two years and Baldwin wouldn't want that long a contract, he added. Asked about Hall's remarks, City Administrator David Minke said he knew of no council action saying there would be no contract renewal. But Minke did say the city would want a contract for longer than a year. Princeton Union-Eagle |