During our July 18th board meeting, several guests asked questions about the services and facilities of our fire district. We appreciate the interest in our presentation and plans for the future and, as always, we welcome attendance at our monthly board meetings. Below are the responses to questions from our meeting, and thank you again for your interest.
Q: Why are you spending $4 million on a new fire station?
A: The new fire station is an integral piece in our continued efforts to provide the best service possible to the people of the Worthington Fire District. The station has been designed to accommodate the equipment, personnel and training needs to meet the service demands of our district. Since the new station will house administrative offices, living space and training facilities as well as equipment, the cost is higher than a station consisting of only bays and trucks.
Q: What will be the staffing plan for the new station?
A:The new station would be equipped with a combination of both career and volunteer members. All of our current paid staff that works from Murphy Lane will be moved here. The volunteers would go to the station nearest their residences.
Q: Why do you not have 24-hour staffing at the Brownsboro Road station?
A:Our statistics illustrate that the number of runs made from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. drastically decrease from the level of daytime runs in the area of the Brownsboro Road station. We have examined the need for 24-hour staffing; however, the extra $500,000 annual expense associated with this additional service would be unnecessary due to the low level of calls.
Q: How do I receive a copy of your budget with detailed tracking?
A: You may submit a request in writing to 4700 Murphy Lane during regular business hours.
Q: Why do you not have a board member representing the Oldham County portion of your district?
A: We welcome applications to serve on the board from all members of our district. At the present time, two of our board members are Oldham County residents.
Q: How did you obtain funding to purchase new fire trucks?
A: Like any other emergency vehicles, small apparatus are designed to fill specific needs under specific conditions. The chief presented a multi-year apparatus plan to the board in 2006 to help address these needs. Over the years, our district has spent a significant amount of money on apparatus service and repairs. Thus, we sold a 1993 fire apparatus and purchased a 2007 model. We also replaced a large 1993 Rescue Apparatus with two smaller rescue apparatus. These two small rescue apparatus will fill important needs of the district and could earn additional points on our insurance services office ratings. These units will carry generators, lights, salvage covers, air bottles and specialized gear for use at rescue and hazardous materials incidents. When dispatched to motor-vehicle accidents, they can be used to warn, control and direct traffic away from the incident scene.
Q: Will you have an independent study conducted to determine the need for EMS in the district?
A: There are no plans or funding at this time for an independent study of EMS in the district. We do, however, continue to explore alternatives to our previously planned certificate of need and will submit recommendations to our board in the coming months.
