Such a proposal has been bandied about for the past quarter century, yet despite its obvious benefits of saving money and improving service, the call to streamline the township's nine fire districts has languished – until now.
It's a no brainer: Hamilton Township needs to consolidate its antiquated fire districts into one unified fire department.
Such a proposal has been bandied about for the past quarter century, yet despite its obvious benefits of saving money and improving service, the call to streamline the township's nine fire districts has languished - until now.
Earlier this summer, four of the nine districts formed a Joint Meeting to allow sharing of services. It was hoped that additional districts would join and eventually lead to merger of fire districts.
That prompted the District 9 Board of Fire Commissioners in Groveville to go a step further by passing a resolution that calls for all nine districts to be immediately consolidated into one district or municipal fire department.
At present, the campaign to consolidate appears to have morphed into two competing proposals. Several fire districts and the township's two fire unions favor a plan that calls for District 3 to be the surviving district, while the others support District 9's resolution to start with a brand new district.
Among the two, we support District 9's initiative because it jettisons all the vestiges of the old inefficient system. But both proposals have the same objective: to consolidate fire services into a single, more efficient department.
RELATED: Debate continues over which consolidation plan is best
The current fire district map was developed nearly 100 years ago when Hamilton was a much more rural township and fire protection needs were easily taken care of by volunteers who were proud of their local fire stations.
But as the township grew, those fire districts were duplicating services at a hefty cost to taxpayers. Hamilton has 45 fire commissioners who draw a combined $450,000 in taxpayer-funded salaries per year. Each district has its own fire trucks and equipment and personnel. You even have situations where responding firefighters in one district have to travel much farther to answer a fire call than firefighters in a neighboring district that is actually closer.
But overhauling the current system is no easy matter. Township council can only consider consolidation after 5 percent of the voters in each district petition it to do so. It's a cumbersome process that has prevented previous attempts to update Hamilton's fire services.
But this time around there is a more concerted effort to change things. Most telling is the willingness of some fire commissioners to give up their paid positions for the greater good.
Another harbinger of success is that the township's firefighters' unions are actively circulating consolidation petitions and local elected officials have pledge their support.
If this latest effort to consolidate Hamilton's disjointed fire system is to succeed, township residents will have to get involved by signing a petition at their local fire station.
It's worth the effort.