Newspaper Page Text
K
C M
Tribune & Georgian
Wednesday, July 31,2013
Emily Heglund | Tribune & Georgian
Kingsland mayor Kenneth Smith and St. Marys fire chief Robby Horton speak Monday dur
ing a break in a presentation about the feasibility of consolidating fire and emergency med
ical service in Camden County.
Fire
from page 1
automatically, eliminating
the request for help.
“Not everybody has every
thing,” he said. “I think
there’s capacity in the system
to alleviate some of the pres
sure points when it gets busy.
I think this drives you to look
at shared services. No one’s
in over demand.”
Geographic details
The county’s geography
should also be considered
when examining consolida
tion, Pozzo said. Investiga
tors determined that the
county has two distinct serv
ice areas: a rural northern
portion and a southern,
more suburban area.
“It’s hard to staff fire serv
ices and EMS services to the
unincorporated areas at
times,” he said.
Pozzo displayed multiple
maps and graphs detailing all
of the county’s fire stations
and response times, finally
focusing on the proximity of
Kingsland Fire Rescue’s Sta
tion 5 and Camden County
Fire Rescue’s Station 14 on
Harrietts Bluff Road, as well
as Kingsland Station 4 and
CCFR’s Station 10 on Gross
Road. Both are within a mile
of each other.
Pozzo strongly advocated
for the closure of these two
CCFR stations and the re
purposing of staff and equip
ment to other stations. This
is because Station 10 and
Station 14 are each allotted
three full-time firefighters.
However, two of Station 10’s
personnel are assigned to the
ambulance, leaving one per
son on the fire engine — an
inefficient setup, Pozzo said
— while two of the three at
Station 14 are rovers who are
moved to other stations to
fill vacancies, often leaving
one person at Station 14.
The closure of these sta
tions would save almost of
$23,000 per year, Pozzo said.
Alternative No. 1:
full consolidation
Pozzo explained that, with
the county’s first option for
consolidation, the three de
partments would become
one agency, redistribute a
county ambulance and two
tankers from the closure of
stations 10 and 14 and ex
pand EMS services using
Kingsland’s two ambulances.
The new agency would re
classify current departments
into three “districts” —
Camden, Kingsland and St.
Marys — and would share
planning, training, fire pre
vention and investigation du
ties as well as administration.
An oversight committee
comprising elected officials
and members of the commu
nity would be appointed and
supervise one director who
would manage the entire
consolidated department. A
separate EMS manager
would oversee emergency
medical services and would
work under the director.
Pozzo recommended adver
tising for the director posi
tion but said that the current
fire chiefs would be welcome
to apply for the job as well.
“You need somebody that
understands that this takes a
great deal of leadership,” he
said. “The right person at
the director level could man
age this.”
This method of organiza
tion is very sustainable and
adaptable to growth, Pozzo
said, and would work best
with the development and
implementation of a com
prehensive strategic plan that
would lay out all risks and
hazards on county maps, in
cluding hotels, homes or
other large structures and in
clude how many firefighters
and trucks it would take to
respond to a fire at each lo
cation.
Short-term savings with
full consolidation would
You need somebody that
understands that this
takes a great deal of
leadership. The right
person at the director
level could manage this.
— Joe Pozzo
ICMA consultant on
fire consolidation
amount to about $220,000
after overlapping costs are
eliminated and tax rates are
shifted. St. Marys and Kings
land would also see savings
in their millage rates.
“There may not be the
savings you’re looking for in
the short term,” Pozzo said,
but a stronger financial posi
tion can be reached in the
long term.
“That’s really where the
savings are,” he said, adding
that larger departments re
ceive discounts on uniforms,
equipment and apparatus, as
well.
Alternative No. 2:
functional consolidation
Operational consolidation
could be described as a full
automatic aid department,
where the closest units re
spond no matter the jurisdic
tion, Pozzo said. The
departments would keep
their current jurisdictions
and serve separately but to
gether through operations
and some administration.
“It’s not that technical to
do,” he said. “You’ve got a lot
of opportunity here for this.”
Pozzo still recommended
the closure of county stations
10 and 14 and the consolida
tion of planning, training,
fire prevention and investi
gation but emphasized the
need for an updated com
puter-aided dispatch (CAD)
system that would automati
cally send the closest unit to
an emergency scene.
Currently, the 911 com
munication center in Wood
bine, which already uses a
basic CAD system, requires
this to be done manually.
“You can’t do that by a
book,” he said. “It doesn’t
matter. The closest unit or
units respond to that call.”
A CAD upgrade would
benefit all three depart
ments, reduce response
times and automatically send
the closest unit.
“It’s something you should
look at,” Pozzo said.
Pozzo also urged the
county’s three fire chiefs to
come together and agree on
protocol and training and
stay in constant contact
about their movement out
side of normal response
areas.
“If you don’t want to fully
merge, this is the way to go,”
he said. “You should be com
ing together and using these
things.”
Financially, this option
would be limited to small
changes in staff, but the
$23,000 per year from the
closure of stations 10 and 14
would be included. For more
savings, Pozzo recom
mended eliminating two of
the three CCFR division of
ficers, which could save $65-
85,000 per year.
Official reactions
After Pozzo’s presentation,
elected officials posed ques
tions and voiced their reac
tions to the study’s findings.
Kingsland Mayor Kenneth
$mith said he feels the three
fire chiefs should get to
gether and bring recommen
dations to each of their
respective councils for re
view. Camden County Board
of Commissioners Chairman
Chip Keene inquired about
the availability of grants to
consolidated departments.
Pozzo said larger, consoli
dated departments have a
better chance of receiving
grants than smaller, separate
entities.
$t. Marys council member
John Morrissey cautioned
other officials about the big
ger picture leaving the work
session.
“Where do we want to go
long term?” he asked. “We
want to make sure there’s a
vision to this method.”
“What ICMA won’t do is
pack up the briefcase and
leave tonight,” Pozzo an
swered, offering his support
and help along the way, re
gardless of whichever form
of consolidation is decided.
“We’re not just going to
walk out the door.”
Film alliance adds Brantley as fifth affiliated county
Brantley County Develop
ment Authority executive di
rector Richard Thornton and
that can be posted to the offi
cial CGFA website, the state
of Georgia’s film website and
tweak the interest of those
who are making film location
decisions.”
and other consumer spend
ing to benefit our regional
economy.”
Ryan hopes to have a loca
tion in each county to spot
light on the film tours.
County to get involved in
projects, either as extras or
suppliers of products and
chair Peggy Bowers recently
met with Coastal Georgia
Film Alliance (CGFA) offi
cials to confirm Brantley
County’s affiliation with
CGFA.
Five counties — Camden,
McIntosh, Fiberty, Charlton
and Brantley — have joined
forces to offer filmmakers a
collection of locations and
resources to bring more pro
duction to the region.
The next step will be for
CGFA photographers to
scout Brantley for film assets
also be included in CGFA’s
aggressive marketing pro
gram.
“Every day our volunteers
are contacting film industry
executives and location man
agers to make sure that
coastal Georgia is constantly
on their radar screen to con
sider as new projects arise,”
CGFA chair Doug Vaught
said. “We’ve learned that the
squeaky wheel gets the grease
and sometimes our calls and
emails make just enough
noise at just the right time to
Vaught went on to say
coastal Georgia has such a di
verse offering of landscapes,
buildings and communities
that CGFA has coined the
term “cinemagical” to de
scribe the area.
“We want to make sure
that filmmakers are aware of
assets and resources from
our entire region,” Vaught
continued. “Ultimately, our
goal is to create a destina
tion movie trail through
coastal Georgia that can
help spur overnight stays
Upcoming Events
Thursday, August 1
Single Again, a growing
group of active adults, has
been meeting at The Green
Room Sicilian Restaurant
every first and third Thursday
for over six months. Anyone
interested in making new
friends and enjoying activities
while creating a positive
lifestyle is invited. Food can
be ordered at 5:30 p.m.,
which is served to us up
stairs. New business begins
after 6 p.m. or whenever the
majority have finished eating.
The group can occupy the
loft until closing at 8 p.m. so
there is plenty of time for so
cializing. There is hope after
divorce, death of a spouse or
the end of a long-term rela
tionship. Please join us and
share your ideas for making
life better! For menu and ad
dress, visit www.onthegreen-
room.com/.
The Camden County Re
publican Women will be hold
ing their monthly meeting at
7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at
the Camden County Annex.
District 180 Rep. Jason
Spencer (R-Woodbine) will
be the program speaker for
the evening. Members ask
that attendees bring a non-
perishable food item for the
collection box that will be pro
vided to the local Salvation
Army to keep the community
fed. For more information
please email Sharon Viel-
lenave at coolfish3@tds.net.
Saturday, August 3
Missions for Camden will
hold a fundraising car wash
from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday,
Aug. 2, and Saturday, Aug. 3,
at 455 S. Lee St. in Kings
land. The goal is to raise
funds to develop a commu
nity center in Kingsland. Do
nations of $10 or more will
receive a chance to win a
special prize. Volunteers are
needed, and those interested
are asked to call Curt or Mike
at (912) 388-0232.
Woodmen of the World
Camden Lodge 1523 will
sponsor Summer Fun Day
from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the St.
Marys Aquatic Center. The
community is invited to join
lodge members and enjoy
free admission, food and
drinks. RSVP by emailing
Samantha Proctor at saman-
thalproctor@gmail. com or
call (912) 552-3931. RSVP is
encouraged but not neces
sary to attend. For more in
formation check the
Facebook page at www.face
book.com/WOWGeorgia-
SouthLodge1523.
Monday, August 5
State Rep. Jason Spencer
announces a meet and greet
reception on Monday, Aug. 5,
for U.S. Senate candidate
and congressman from Geor
gia's 10th Congressional Dis
trict, U.S. Rep. Paul Broun Jr.
The reception will be held 5
to 7 p.m. at the Camden Con
vention Center, Millhouse
Steakhouse, located at 1215
E. King Ave. in Kingsland.
The Camden County High
School council meeting will
be held at 4 p.m. Monday,
Aug. 5, in room A13. Agenda
topics include school coun
cil elections and CCHS
data.
Barbara Ryan, vice chair of
Coastal Georgia Film Al
liance and past chair of $t.
Marys Convention & Visi
tors Bureau, said, “A coastal
Georgia film vacation itiner
ary is very feasible for the fu
ture. A film-driven economic
boost is not just about today,
but it’s about investing in fu
ture tourism.”
“The combined assets of
the five CGFA counties make
for an impressive portfolio
and a compelling case to get
filmmakers to our region,”
Ryan said.
“Adding Brantley County
to the film alliance not only
boosts our assets but also
opens up new opportunities
for the people of Brantley
services.
Championed by an up to
30 percent tax benefit for
filmmakers, Georgia is
among the nation’s top five
states for film production.
For more information
about the Coastal Georgia
Film Alliance, visit
www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org
or call (912) 729-1103.
Daniel Nettleton
" Service Manage
CAR TALK
with Pan
*“"The @at Alan
Q \ Why should I
clean my injectors?
The truth is, no matter how well you maintain your vehicle, you can’t stop
the tiny particals of dirt and dust entering the fuel supply and subsequently
passing through your fuel injectors. Fuel economy can be restored by removing
debris from your fuel injectors and engine horsepower can be improved by re
placing or emptying the fuel injector micro filter. This will produce a more efficient
combustion. As fuel prices rise, your potential for saving money increases.
912-510-3673
2030 Hwy. 40 E., Kingsland, GA
lillistonfordofkingsland.com
$45.95! $59 95
Plus tax and shop fee s
FUEL INJECTOR ! OIL CHANGE
DIESEL ENGINE
with coupon • Expires 8/7/13
CLEANING
with coupon • Expires 8/7/13
i:m
$25 OFF
ANY SERVICE OF
$100 OR MORE
with coupon • Expires 8/7/13
APPOINTMENT NECESSARY