Fire Commissioners Hear Pros and Cons of Merging With the Town

Even if everyone agreed it was a great idea, merging the independent East Greenwich Fire District with the town would not be an easy task.

It took legislative action at the state level when the district was chartered, and no one knows how much time or money it might take for the General Assembly to undo that action.

There have been casual conversations about putting the town and Fire District together for several years, and with governmental purse strings drawing ever tighter, the district decided last year to have a planning group take a look at pros and cons.

The group, chaired by retired East Greenwich Fire Captain Stefan Coutoulakis went to work last December. Up to eight people attended the committee meetings that formed the basis for their report. They gathered facts, but offered no opinions. 

Courtoulakis presented the report to the Fire District at its June meeting and will present it to the Town Council in July.

On the big item, money, the planning group couldn’t find savings, but said it needed more study.

A merger could have financial complications if the district's $5.2 million budget is merged with the town. Payments from Warwick for coverage in Potowomut might not go to fire department needs in a merged budget, and there are also questions about how rescue billings would be handled. 

The topic of rescue work also generated discussion about firefighters and EMS work. In the East Greenwich department it is a combined job, but some communities now contract EMS work to private services.

There are areas where the town and district cooperate now, such as tax billing, and the study generated some ideas for more cooperation. One suggestion was to look at more closely linking the Fire Marshall's and Building Inspector’s office. Much of the Fire Marshall’s work deals with building plans and calls seeking his office often come in first to the town offices.

In doing its research, the planning group had access to an extensive report on New England towns and fire departments. The group also held lengthy discussions with  Town Manager Bill Sequino and department heads to find out exactly what they do.

If the status quo is maintained, the panel felt there could be savings for the Fire District through regionalization, but said that that discussion was beyond the scope of the committee and required many more stakeholders at the table.

In other action at the June meeting, the Fire Commissioners decided to advertise for candidates to fill a Board vacancy created by the resignation of Jim Harris June 21^st.  Harris accepted a job in North Carolina and has left the community.   

Chairman Doug Axelsen said former Town Council member Mark Schwager has expressed interest in an appointment.

The Board will review applications and make an appointment to fill the vacancy before the next election.