Scio Township, Dexter explore combining fire departments

Under the current system, Scio Township firefighters are responsible for the 34-square-mile township west of Ann Arbor, operating from a fire station on Zeeb Road. The Dexter Area Fire Department protects all of the Village of Dexter, all of Webster Township, 60 percent of Dexter Township, and 40 percent of Lima Township. Its main station is on Main Street in Dexter, and a new substation opened on North Territorial in Dexter Township. 

Both departments are staffed with a combination of full-time and paid on-call firefighters.

On Monday, elected representatives from Dexter Village and Scio, Webster and Dexter townships met to discuss consolidation — the latest in a series of meetings since September 2009. They say having a consolidated fire department could improve service and reduce overall costs for fire protection.

Delhi Township Fire Chief Rick Royston spoke at Monday's meeting, highlighting the pros and cons of a consolidated department. 

“It’s combining the strengths of two smaller departments to exceed anything you can do now as individual departments,” Royston said.

Dexter Township Supervisor Pat Kelly said the committee has been meeting monthly for more than a year and is working "very deliberately and slowly on this."

Scio Township Supervisor Spaulding Clark said at some point, labor attorneys would need to be involved, but the committee hasn't reached that point yet. 

Royston said the benefits of a regional department include more efficient use of fire apparatus, equipment and staffing. One chief would oversee a consolidated department, and a potential exists for cost savings for centralized purchasing and testing of equipment. Currently, Carl Ferch serves as chief in Scio Township, and Loren Yates is the Dexter fire chief.

Royston said a regional fire service would consolidate training expenses and standardized training methods, as well as increase competitiveness in grant opportunities because of a larger service area and more staff.

“One of the biggest issues with consolidation is change for everyone,” he said, “From the township supervisors and administrators down to the firefighters who ride in the engine.”

Royston suggested working with Ann Arbor for more specialized services, such as confined space rescues or hazardous materials calls.

Webster Township Supervisor John Kingsley said, “Our board wants to look an anything in terms of costs and service efficiencies and the fact that Scio is interested in cooperating with DAFD will allow us to move forward.”

Response times in areas such as Loch Alpine could be served quicker by a fire engine stationed in Scio Township, while homes in the area of Dexter-Chelsea and Parker roads could be reached quicker by trucks stationed in Dexter.

Officials said portions of Lima Township could benefit from the consolidation as well. 

Last September, Lynn Harvey of Michigan State University, an expert intergovernmental cooperation, gave a presentation to the group that introduced possible cost allocations. Harvey estimated $2 million would be needed for a consolidated department's budget.

In the proposed scenario, Dexter Township would pay about $300,000 or 15 percent of the total cost, while Scio Township would pay about $1.2 million or about 55 percent. Webster Township’s proposed amount would be about $342,000 or 17 percent, and Dexter Village’s share would be about $247,000 or 13 percent.

The cost figures were based on each municipality’s population, its state equalized value (with a 50-percent adjustment for open space), and the number of fire calls in each.

The next step in the process is for the individual municipalities to adopt a resolution of support to continue the process, which could take a year to complete.

If approved by all the municipalities, the committee would draft a transition plan for review and adoption by all four municipalities.

Lisa Allmendinger is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com.