Why make the decision to maintain the operations of Fire Station #52 prior to hearing from the public regarding the assessments which would affect the budget?
The decision on whether to close Station #52 was based upon maintaining a level of service to the community. This issue had garnered intense public interest and therefore, the Board of County Commissioners chose to move this to the beginning of the hearing so that a decision could be made on service levels. The Fire Chief presented information on the current level of service within the County as well as the impact on that level of service to community if Station #52 was closed. The closing of the station would increase response times by anywhere from 5 to 10 or more minutes to that area. This decision promulgated the continued level of service to County and will continue to be discussed throughout the coming year as the Department of Fire Rescue and EMS establishes current and future levels of service as part of a strategic planning process.
