A national consulting firm hired by the Grand Traverse Metro Emergency Services Authority says Metro Fire and the Traverse City Fire Department should merge. The firm was asked to study a possible merger between the two organizations and released its report yesterday, recommending a “full integration of the two organizations.”

Oregon-based Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) will present their findings at a public hearing next Tuesday, July 1 at 10am at East Bay Township Hall. The firm was hired in late 2013 to conduct a $45,251 study (funded in part by the state) that included multiple site visits and budget, asset and service analyses of both the city-owned department and the county-run agency servicing East Bay, Acme and Garfield townships.

ESCI begins its report by noting that while Metro and City Fire “approach service differently in some respects,” both organizations are “performing comparably to other fire departments of similar size” and are providing “quality service at an acceptable cost” to their communities. City Fire – with 22 full-time staff and three fire stations, including an outpost at Cherry Capital Airport – serves 14,911 residents on a $2.4 million budget, while Metro Fire utilizes a combined 62 part and full-time staff plus volunteers to serve 32,000+ residents out of five stations on a $3.2 million budget.

ESCI found that while merging the two organizations would not provide “dramatic cost savings” in the short-term for either department – a benefit toted by proponents – it also would not necessitate the deep cuts in jobs feared by opponents. A staffing configuration recommended by the consultants shows a net decrease of just one operations position and the same total number of administration and support positions across both departments, with a captain/fire marshal position reallocated as an inspector in the proposed merger.

The firm further concluded that consolidation offered “future financial savings and long-term cost avoidance” for both agencies, as well as increased efficiencies through shared programming, unified operating procedures and enhanced services. Opportunities exist for the departments to share equipment or collaborate on purchases, and both groups may eventually need to engage in “formalized and funded planning” for future fire station replacement (ESCI rated Metro Fire's station eight in Acme as “poor” and “inadequate for current use,” while both City Fire stations were described as “of concern” and in “fair but aging” condition by consultants).

While ESCI recommends “assimilation of (City Fire) into (Metro Fire) as a long-term course of action,” the company also cautions that “to move forward with a full consolidation in one step is viewed as potentially challenging.” The report instead advocates for incremental unification, noting that the departments' options range from doing nothing to more closely aligning efforts to fully merging and becoming one entity.

Should Traverse City “wish to retain some degree of control over how fire and EMS services are delivered,” ESCI recommends two paths forward: contracting for services with Metro Fire on an annual basis, or agreeing to the “inclusion” of City Fire into Metro Fire. In the latter instance – a form of merger that enables the city to retain the right to return to its current organizational structure in the future – both departments' governing boards and taxing authorities would be preserved, while the agencies would otherwise operationally unify and provide defined financial contributions to the joint venture.

However the departments decide to proceed, an extended review and public input process will take place first – beginning with next week's hearing. “I don't see next week's meeting as a decision-making meeting,” agrees Metro Fire Board Chair Beth Friend.
“I see it only as an informational presentation by (ESCI) with an opportunity to ask questions on their methodology...and on what the recommendations are.”

The consultants also affirm the need to proceed at a deliberate pace. “Before any final decisions are made, both organizations will need to digest the information provided in this report and determine what is in their best interest individually,” ESCI writes, "and most importantly, in the best interest of the citizens that are being served by the fire agencies.”