Fire Department Consolidation Politicized In S. Orange-Maplewood

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - A campaign flyer distributed to residents accused current South Orange Village President Sheena Collum, in the midst of running for reelection, as looking to dissolve the South Orange Fire Department.

And thus the social media war began. Soon residents were posting opinions and accusations and officials were quick to respond.

In response to the claims sent in the flyer by the SO Forward campaign, which includes Deborah Davis Ford for Village President and Stacey Borden, Matt Wonski, and Ed Grossi for Trustees, Collum posted a lengthy breakdown of the claims and her response to her personal Facebook page:

The following provides clarity, point by point, of the alarming claims made by SO Forward:

Claim: If Sheena Collum’s disastrous public safety plan passes, say goodbye to the South Orange Fire Department.

Response: As a consolidated department between Maplewood and South Orange, the Fire Department would be reconstituted and referred to as the “Maplewood-South Orange Fire Department” or the “South Orange-Maplewood Fire Department”. The naming convention chosen is completely irrelevant – just as our shared school district is known as the South Orange and Maplewood School District (SOMSD) – both communities are still represented.

Claim: She would give up our fire department to Maplewood.

Response: With all municipal collaborations, a “lead agency” must always be identified, such as with our shared municipal court. Having one town lead does not mean the other town abdicates, especially given the reports last month to each governing body in identifying a Joint Meeting as a potential structure with assistance from the state.

Claim: There will be less firefighters protecting us – and unions jobs will be lost.

Response: More than incorrect, what will transpire is the complete opposite. Jobs will not be lost and titles and seniority will not change. The consolidation means a new and much larger department scheduled to ensure more firefighters respond to fires than current response levels.

Claim: Shifts will reduce from 8 firefighters to 3 firefighters.

Response: This is an incorrect misdirection of facts. Each tour of duty in both South Orange and Maplewood have what is frequently referred to as “minimum staffing requirements” and that will not change. The Maplewood FD utilizes a four-platoon system, with nine to ten personnel assigned per shift, and an eight-person minimum staffing level, whereas, the South Orange FD uses a three-platoon system, with each platoon comprised of eight members and a six-person minimum staffing level. Both fire departments will retain the same current minimum staffing level, almost doubling the response of firefighters in both towns responding to a primary alarm.

Claim: Collum’s plan to kill our fire department only saves homes $10 per year.

Response: This is incorrect. For example, in 2018 alone, South Orange taxpayers incurred $567,540.48 in “overtime” costs. We cannot afford to subsidize inefficiencies in any department, particularly the one representing the second largest cost-driver in our municipal budget. Eliminating excessive overtime by operating a smaller department amounts to $100 a household minimally, and more important than cost saving or cost avoidance is the better delivery of fire services to our two towns.

Claim: There is an unreleased draft document that Collum has stood by and refused to make public. We [the South Orange Forward campaign] “call on Village President Sheena Collum to release the full draft proposal immediately.”

Response: As the current Village President, I take my fiduciary responsibility very seriously and will not breach my oath of office or agreements authorized by the governing body by prematurely releasing draft documents considered “consultative and deliberative.” However, it’s important to note, with all negotiations, documents become dated during the process. For example, meetings in March – with representatives from the state, both town’s fire departments and union representatives – will factor into how we approach this consolidation; those details are not yet ready for public release and there are still many decisions to be made. As always, all final agreements will follow our long-standing, statutory process of introduction, public comment, and any necessary amendments or final adoption."

Soon after Collum's post, the FMBA Local 40 and 240, sent out a message of their own, criticizing Collum for "continuously hidden behind a veil of secrecy" and thanking Ford for "issue to the forefront." Their complete statement is below:

"Over the last few days there has been much internet chatter about the issue of the dissolution of the South Orange Fire Department and consolidation with the Maplewood Fire Department. Though we have no way of knowing whether or not those making comments or putting out falsehoods on the internet on this matter are even real people, we, as the men and women that are responding to fires, car accidents, and other emergencies on a daily basis, must speak out.

First and foremost, we have asked to be part of this conversation for well over a year. While the Mayor of Maplewood has responded to the questions of his firefighters on several instances, Village President Sheena Collum has continuously hidden behind a veil of secrecy, saying publicly that she was unable to speak on this matter as negotiations were ongoing and confidential. We believe that if there is any matter that the residents should be fully kept abreast of it is that of their own public safety and full transparency on this issue is the only way to pursue a safe and fair consolidation.

We are grateful to Village Trustee Deborah Davis Ford for bringing this issue to the forefront, and we are hopeful that it will now be seen as not just a vanity project but also a meaningful strategy for greater public safety.

After resisting our requests for a meeting in the summer of 2018, and making it clear that she had no intention of discussing the matter with us directly, Village President Collum was finally cajoled into a meeting that included union leadership from both Maplewood and South Orange, our statewide union leadership, and Governor Phil Murphy’s Shared Service Czars. This meeting took place on March 18.

During this meeting we expressed our concerns about the study the townships jointly undertook and developed largely without the input of our firefighters, the document that is seemingly forming the foundation of the Collum Consolidation Plan. That plan clearly states that in order to achieve the more than $1 million in savings the number of firefighters stationed in South Orange will be reduced to three.

This means that there will not be an appropriate amount of firefighters, based on federal safety standards, to respond appropriately to working fires. To put it bluntly, if a resident is trapped in their burning home, our members will be hindered in their efforts to undertake a rescue safely.

The study also dictates that in order to maintain safe response times to incidents with the majority of firefighters being stationed outside of South Orange, emergency vehicles will be moving through both Maplewood and South Orange at 35 miles per hour. Like other members of the community our firefighters cannot recall a time they have travelled through Downtown South Orange, at any time of day, at that rate of speed.

Under the Collum Consolidation Plan, by her own admission, the authority to manage the finances and operations of the Fire Department will be with the Maplewood Town Council. While there will be an advisory board established to review decisions, there will be no recourse available if South Orange residents are not satisfied with the manner in which their tax dollars are being spent on this endeavor.

All hiring and promotion decisions related to the new department will also be left in the hands of Maplewood, a township that does not use civil service, which is a set of NJ State standards of ensuring that such important decisions are made without the undue influence of politics, nepotism, or favoritism.

To be very clear, we believe under the right scenarios consolidating the South Orange and Maplewood Fire Departments can work, and, in fact, believe that by employing a greater vision even more savings can be realized.

However, this is not a plan that deserves to be debated under the microscope of a political campaign. It deserves thoughtful discussion and analysis, transparency, and, most important, constructive input from all involved."

Not to be outdone, Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca posted his own statement on social media, sharing the history of the proposed merge from Maplewood's perspective.

His complete statement is below:

"For over 20 years, governing body members in South Orange and Maplewood have discussed ways in which to share fire services. We are now at a point where there are serious options to consider but unfortunately politics has gotten in the way.

Decisions about providing fire and emergency response services are far too important to be made by campaign sound bites and fear tactics. We are talking about the lives and properties of those who live, visit, work, attend school, and own property in our two towns. I can assure you that those of us elected in Maplewood and South Orange understand the seriousness of providing fire services and would do nothing to jeopardize the safety of the people we represent.

It would be a huge loss for one or both governing bodies to walk away from this opportunity because of political pressure. With a consolidated fire department more personnel and equipment will be on the scene faster and be under a unified command structure. Additionally, in two tax strapped towns it would be irresponsible for elected officials not to explore ways to share services and deliver those services more efficiently.

How Did We Get Here?

In mid-2015, newly elected South Orange Village President contacted Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca to discuss opportunities for sharing municipal services, including the fire departments. In September 2015, the two governing bodies adopted resolutions setting up a “Joint Exploratory Committee” to investigate possible shared efficiencies in the delivery of fire protection services. The goals of the exploration were:

1. To provide the highest quality fire services to the residents of Maplewood and South Orange;
2. To maintain an appropriate level of firefighting personnel and equipment to adequately respond to fire, emergency and hazardous incidents in Maplewood and South Orange; and
3. To achieve economic and operational efficiencies.

After a series of meetings by the Joint Exploratory Committee, it was determined that we needed an expert to evaluate our current fire services and determine if it made sense to pursue some type of consolidation.

In February 2016, the two towns issued a request for proposal for “an analysis of the operational efficiencies of and the feasibility of consolidation, merger or sharing of South Orange and Maplewood fire protection services.” In July 2016 a contract was awarded to Manitou Incorporated, which issued a final report in October 2017.

Manitou “found robust evidence that increased efficiency, better service and cost savings are possible through a consolidation of the two separate fire departments into a single entity. Our findings are clear –the communities of Maplewood and South Orange would be better served by combining their fire departments into a single entity.”

Manitou also stated, “The current fire stations serving the communities will remain in service, and both forces would fall under a common set of operational procedures and leadership, which will improve effectiveness and coordination.”

Meetings with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Division of Local Government Services

In May 2017, the Joint Exploratory Committee met in Trenton with the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs and leadership of the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS). The DLGS staff outlined a couple of options for sharing services including a joint meeting and a consolidation. They described the Belmar/Lake Como model of consolidating two police departments and joint meeting model of combining five separate fire departments into North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue. A Memorandum of Understanding was executed to enable the DLGS to “provide the necessary resources to aid [Maplewood and South Orange] in developing and executing a plan to combine their fire services.”

Where Are We Now?
Since the Manitou Report was issued, the Joint Exploratory Committee, consisting of South Orange Village President Sheena Collum, South Orange Board of Trustee Member Howard Levison, South Orange Administrator Adam Loehner, Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca, Maplewood Deputy Mayor Frank McGehee and Maplewood Administrator Sonia Viveiros, has primarily focused on how a consolidated fire department would be structured, managed and financed.

The Joint Exploratory Committee reached a number of agreements that have guided our discussions:

1. No fire houses will be closed. The three current fire houses - South Orange Firehouse on Sloan Street, Maplewood Firehouse on Dunnell Road and Maplewood Firehouse on Boyden Avenue – will remain open.

2. No fire apparatus will be removed. The South Orange Firehouse will continue to house a truck and an engine. The Maplewood Firehouse on Dunnell Road will continue to house a truck and an engine and the Maplewood Firehouse on Boyden Avenue will continue to house an engine.

3. There will be 70 uniformed fire personnel, with one fire chief. There will be four shifts, with each shift having 17 personnel assigned with a minimum of 14 on-duty. Currently the maximum per shift is 18 and the minimum is 14 on-duty. Staffing levels shall not be less than 8 on-duty in Maplewood and 6 on-duty in South Orange, which is consistent with current staffing minimums.

4. There will not be lay-offs. If necessary, reductions in force will come from retirements and not layoffs and any reductions will be done in compliance with state laws and regulations.

How will a consolidated fire department be funded?
The annual operating costs shall be shared on a formula using the assessed value, including exempt properties, of South Orange and Maplewood as determined by the State of New Jersey Division of Taxation. Using this formula, the breakdown is projected to be Maplewood at 55 percent and South Orange at 45 percent.

We are still exploring legal, bonding and insurance requirements for existing equipment and vehicles and have not determined if one town, each town or a new joint entity will be the owner. Capital costs for new equipment and vehicles will be shared although the breakdown for those costs is still under discussion.

What are the two big sticking points to achieving a consolidation?
1. South Orange municipal employees are covered by New Jersey Civil Service and Maplewood municipal employees do not participate in Civil Service. Both South Orange and Maplewood firefighters are concerned about the loss of current job protections, retention of ranks and salaries, and the future appointment process. These are real and justifiable concerns that the Joint Exploratory Committee has discussed and is prepared to discuss in more detail with the firefighters.

2. Maplewood Fire Department provides Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and South Orange Fire Department does not. The Maplewood Township Committee wants the newly constituted fire department to continue to provide EMS in Maplewood. The Township Committee recognizes that Maplewood would have to cover all costs associated with the provision of EMS in Maplewood. A bifurcated system of EMS presents challenges to hiring, assigning and promoting firefighters.

What are the next steps?
For the past year, the working assumption for the consolidation has been using the model recommended by the New Jersey Division of Local Government Services - Maplewood serving as the lead agency and being legally and fiscally responsible for the operation of the consolidated fire department. This model would include a Fire Services Board with equal representation from the two towns that would review and give prior consent to policy and management matters of the consolidated fire department,

It should be stated that South Orange representatives on the Joint Exploratory Committee have consistently called for a joint or shared management structure for a consolidated fire department. They have had reservations about the consolidation model recommended by DLGS because final decision making would rest with Maplewood.

The Joint Exploratory Committee also has been working with Governor Murphy’s Service Sharing “Czars” to look at other management options. In mid-May, the Czars set up a meeting between the Joint Exploratory Committee and state and local firefighter unions to discuss current plans and options for a way forward. The Joint Exploratory Committee is now seriously considering establishing a Joint Meeting Fire Department. In this model, both Maplewood and South Orange firefighters would be transferred to the Joint Meeting and the Joint Meeting would become part of the New Jersey Civil Service system. South Orange and Maplewood would jointly manage the new fire department.

The governing bodies of the two towns have agreed to explore this option, although there continue to be concerns that need to be worked out. We’ve made it clear to the Governor’s Service Sharing Czars the two towns would only move forward with this option if the state provides sufficient assistance and support in order to make a new joint meeting concept work for all parties.

The Joint Management Committee is planning to work on this new management option during the next few months. If the joint meeting fire department is feasible and improves fire services and cost efficiencies for both towns, we will target a start date in early 2020."

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