GAMBIER — The College Township fire chief told Village Council Monday night that the department will continue to provide quality service to the community, and will work to improve those services.
Bill Smith, who took over as interim fire chief Jan. 31, said finances are one of the department’s biggest challenges; one that, hopefully, the department will be able to take care of. He said the department has applied for three grants already and is working on applying for others.
“As your community fire department, we are very committed to providing professional quality services, and we continue to move forward and make necessary changes,” he said.
Smith said the department recently added five new members, adding that the turnaround for volunteers is about five years.
“We have a good group of dedicated people, and new ones have the same drive to provide the best service possible,” he said. “Our goal is continue to train [people] and develop new programs to get community people involved.”
Smith said the department is in the process of developing a recruitment and retention program, and said there has been discussion about forming a support staff to help the active staff. The support staff could do things such as prepare meals while others are out on fire or EMS runs, as well as help in the firehouse by doing odd jobs and possibly helping with recruitment.
Responding to reports stating it would no longer be possible for the department to continue as a volunteer department, Smith said, “I’m here to tell you we haven’t ever missed a run.”
Gambier Mayor Kirk Emmert said he attended a meeting last week with the College Township Trustees, members of the department and representatives from Monroe Township, in which the financing and the future of the department were discussed. At that meeting, he said, the department gave an encouraging report about the ongoing efforts of the department to continue as a volunteer department, by enhancing recruiting and making service in the department more attractive to the volunteers.
Emmert had previously reported the department could no longer continue as a volunteer department.
On Monday, Emmert said Kenyon College has promised to provide $80,000 each year for the next three years to help the department meet expenses, and will also help pay for the purchase of a new building.
Emmert said the people of the village and the township are thankful for all the work the department does, adding that the volunteer department saves the village anywhere from $350,000 to $400,000 a year.
“I’m not sure everyone knows that,” he said. “If we can be helpful to you, let us know.”
According to Smith, the department made a total of 284 runs in 2007, and 83 so far in 2008. He said the percentage of fire runs has increased. Normally, he said, between 93 to 95 percent are EMS runs; last year, about 85 percent were EMS runs and the remainder were fire runs.