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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSurvival of Emergency Pact Up for Vote-1988 I Survival of emergency pact up for vote Monday CASSELBERRY — It is a simple, It a humanitarian and cost-effective way ", __ to provide fire and rescue service in .,,,;t i'• a rapidly growing county—or a lop- ___ ; __ _ w 'w"',, sided agreement that benefits the w, county more than the city. C { - . Those two views of the first-re- ; �, sponse agreement between the Cas- selberry and Seminole County fire °> � departments have exposed the pro- "'''''-''''''-4 .... --== --- ) --- , a'1," gram to politics, grand-standing, .. +. " 1 l MI, Transport debate: 16 j (11-12- 1 I1 hand-wringing and confusion in re- i `��`` � n�l� cent months. p V° Most city and county officials in- _ volved in the program agree it is a ,; f "' good idea, but almost no one can .x- A-1-„Aka _ agree on whether it is working fairly -- ;. '''. and what to do to keep it intact. ; The debate could be resolved ) ' Monday, when council members are ANGELA PETERSON/SENTINEL whether expected to to make a decision nt Casselber rescue truck awaits a call to an emergency. whether to continue the agreement ry they signed 15 months ago. While the program is designed to Run Concerned Citizens Committee. understood by fire department give high-quality paramedic services In the five months since the city chiefs. to residents, regardless of whether council first questioned the agree- • County paramedic teams they live in the county or city, there ment, a relatively uncomplicated should have their own ambulances, has been little public outcry. principle has been obscured by corn- as in Casselberry, or contract with a Among those with the most to lose plicated issues,including whether: private company for transport. if the city pulls out are residents of ■ Deer Run should be annexed, 2,300-home Deer Run subdivision, ■ City taxpayers are being cheat- which the county has opposed. Deer served by a city fire station. Many of ed by unequal services provided by Run residents appear to be using the them learned of the dispute a few the county, or if city officials are issue to bargain for what they want. weeks ago and want assurances overlooking benefits of the program. g • Just about everyone involved their service won't suffer, said a • City council members are in- member of the newly formed Deer volving themselves in matters better Please see PACT, 14 770 PACT From 1 with the agreement has been playing games involving hidden agenda. This is the first time the 12-year-old program has undergone such scrutiny or been at the center of so much politi- cal turmoil,said Gary Kaiser,the coun- ty's public safety director. amicable, mutually beneficial relation- agreement with Casselberry. But if the ship. city pulls out,it will throw a wrench in The program But Casselberry officials say their plans for an overall system,he said. much shorter partnership with the Casselberry Fire Chief Paul Algeri Basically,it involves firefighters and county has been flawed because the said a pullout would not degrade fire paramedics responding to emergencies county is unwilling to make even mi- and rescue service in the city,either. based on which station is closest and nor compromises — an unflattering providing adequate backup for major position, they say, for a county so de- The politics emergencies or disasters. It creates a pendent on city fire departments to network of fire and emergency ser- provide services in highly urbanized, Although the resolution establishing vices in rapidly growing, highly urban- unincorporated areas of south Semi- the first-response agreement with the ized areas,Kaiser said. nole. , county says the technical arrange- Departments in Kaiser said the county can provide ments will be up to the department the system "get service with or without a first-response chiefs,the council jumped in last sum- - `',';'• more bang for the mer with concerns about fairness and buck," Kaiser said. costs. By sharing re- A majority of the council members sources, depart- said the agreement is unfair. They say 110 ments don't have the city provides more services to the to spend the mon- county than it gets in return and .. . ' P g <., ey for costly ex- should be reimbursed for emergency pansions that oth- trips to Deer Run. They also oppose erwise would be the county's plans to build a fire sta- Kaiser needed. tion at State Road 426 near Oviedo, Altamonte which they say won't reduce the city's Springs signed the first pact with the burden in Deer Run. county in 1976. Longwood joined a According to city figures, Cassel- year later, Casselberry joined in 1986 berry had 2,237 alarms last year. Of and Winter Springs is expected to join those, 422 were responses to areas out- soon. Kaiser said all cities in Seminole side the city, including 145 to Deer have been approached, except Lake Run.The system came to the city's aid Mary, which has a volunteer depart- 170 times, meaning the county got 2V2 ment and legally could not be part of times more benefit than Casselberry. the system. Council members say this means Sanford Fire Chief Tom Hickson more costs for Casselberry residents, said his department is working on a • although the county and city differ modified agreement, but geographies greatly on what it is costing to provide aren't the same in the north end of the county, so a true first-response system won't happen. Winter Springs will be able to pro- vide protection to the northeast sec- tion of Deer Run, the northeast part of Casselberry near State Road 434 and the area around Tuskawilla Road. The arrangement has been mostly trouble-free in Altamonte Springs and Longwood. Altamonte's Fire Chief Tom Siegfried said his department has a give-and-take relationship with the county and revises its agreement peri- odically to keep things balanced. Siegfried said it took about three years to work out the kinks and get an g.76 aervice to Deer Run and the other un- lincorporaide areas. 1 They also say they got 11—Waived—to protect their taxpayers. Dennison said Annexation, hidden agendas the fire chiefs aren't elected and are shielded from the taxpayers. County and some city officials say The county argues the city is not privately that the council's "hidden looking at all the benefits. Kaiser said agenda" is a desire to incorporate Deer city officials knew Deer Run was a ma- Run,which is served by a city fire sta- jor area of response,and that the coun- tion on Red Bug Lake Road. ty would build a station closer to If Deer Run were annexed, it could Oviedo than Deer Run. add about$360,000 to the city's tax col- Transportation for patients in a life lections and square off the city's threatening emergency is the crux of boundaries. It would cost homeowners the debate over equal services. The about$100 to$150 more a year in prop- -county relies on a private ambulance erty taxes. service, Rural-Metro Inc., because its County Administrator Ken Hooper paramedic vehicles cannot carry pa- said last week he has no current opin- tients.The city has two rescue vehicles ion on the issue.But the county fought capable of transporting patients and it and won a legal battle against annex- says its residents, who tax themselves ation in 1981 on the grounds that for the paramedic program, are enti- Please see PACT, 15 tled to transportation when they need it. Council members want reimburse- ment for the runs they make into the county and they want the county to place rescue vehicles that can trans- port patients at the county fire stations PACT Kaiser denies building an empire or that serve the city. paving the way for a consolidated gov- The county has said no to both re- ernment, Fry said his career goals quests. Kaiser said the problem with From 14 probably will take him out of the city, Casselberry is provincial attitudes and and council members say Algeri's job petty politics. He says he and Algeri is safe. can work out the difficulties if council it would create illegal islands of unin- On everyone's agenda, however, is members step aside. corporated area surrounded by city. the belief that the program is good for Kaiser said the blowup developed City paramedic Cmdr. Gene Fry and the community as a whole. over territoriality, or the city's unwill- councilwoman Dennison are up-front While Algeri and Kaiser insist they ingness to give up any territory while about their desires to see Deer Run be- can provide protection without the taking on new—and huge—areas for come part of the city. Mayor Owen agreement, their assurances have not fire and rescue protection. That result- Sheppard is noncommital, saying if it eased all concerns. ed in higher response rates for the happens,the county will object. Deer Run residents worry that the city, Kaiser said, but new boundaries county will be slower to respond to could alleviate that. Residents do not appear to have emergencies. City fire officials fear Councilman ,\ reached a consensus, but the issue Frank Schutte said could be used as lever to get county or paramedics and firefighters wont be the county consis- city officials to respond to their needs. able to train properly because the lack of backup will prevent them from leav- tently is unrespon sive and tends to Others familiar with issues suggest ing the city for instruction. run roughshod , dispute has other hidden causes, In addition, county medical director over the city on is- . ~ such as a desire by Kaiser to form a Benjamin Newman said city paramed- sues such as road consolidated public safety department ics might not stay busy enough to impact fees, an- that he would direct; the council's de- keep up their skills. In the long run, nexation and now sire to get rid of its fire chief; and a de- that would mean the residents would the first-response f sire by Fry to take over as fire chief. suffer,he said. agreement. Coun- Schutte cilwoman Andrea Dennison said she doesn't trust the county anymore. Siegfried of Altamonte Springs said with the issue in the hands of politi- cians, everyone suffers. Politicians f‘i Z e2-/ make decisions based on their own po- litical agendas or they base arguments on emotional issues,he said. "The council members are not fire chiefs" and cannot make the kinds of decisions they pay fire chiefs to make, he said. . ..il il L' Longwood Winter Springs GI r 11 4 1 ill r? Casselberry s[ I / Deer Run ID 4106 i 1 _ t N Maitland Ira L 1 18 Winter Park 0 t MILE SCALE APPROXIMATE Ca .- .- -�- .. .ea fire stations- 1.Longwood Fire Station #15 6.Seminole County Fire Station #22 2.Longwood Fire Station #17 7.Casselberry Fire Station #25 3.Winter Springs Fire Station #24 8.Seminole County Fire Station #23 4.Casselberry Fire Station #21 9.Altamonte Springs Fire Station #11 5.Winter Springs Fire Station #26 1 i' a -.1 . ' ' - 1` f .� g � d. tFO.x \ 4 /. : � C iiii: ii _-it i r 1 iL? ' , u�� 66 ' _$ isi*N_ ...„..„.„-. _ -2111111.1111161*- ft'. _t, r 4,..„,,,,,---- ANGELA PETERSON,'SENTINEI This Seminole.County fire-rescue truck serves Fern Park area.