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15 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 23, 2005 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. <br /> • <br /> SUBJECT: Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service Issues <br /> DEPARTMENT: Manager/Emergency PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br /> Management <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> 5/20/05 Staff Memo John Link or Rod Visser, ext 2300 <br /> PowerPoint Slides Jack Ball, ext 3030 <br /> 10/05/94 BOCC Agenda Abstract w/ TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br /> Attachments Hillsborough 732-8181 <br /> Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br /> Durham 688-7331 <br /> Mebane 336-227-2031 <br /> PURPOSE: To discuss various issues related to the structure and delivery of volunteer fire <br /> and rescue services and other related emergency services in Orange County. <br /> BACKGROUND: Volunteers continue to play a vital role in the delivery of fire protection, fire <br /> suppression, and rescue services throughout Orange County. This includes response not only <br /> during day-to-day emergency situations, but also during larger events such as manmade or <br /> natural disasters or hazardous weather situations. Stresses on volunteer agencies and <br /> individual volunteer emergency responders continue to grow, as demands on volunteer time <br /> needed for additional training and coverage expand. In recent years, these demands have led <br /> many volunteer departments to hire permanent and/or temporary staff to supplement the <br /> coverage that volunteers have been able to provide, particularly during normal weekday <br /> business hours. This in turn has placed more strain on volunteer departmental budgets, and <br /> has increased the competition for scarce tax dollars to address the increasing personnel, <br /> operating, and capital costs of providing high quality, effective, and timely emergency services. <br /> This work session provides the Board of Commissioners an opportunity to receive a brief <br /> preview of some of the issues for FY 2005-06 related to volunteer emergency service provision <br /> that will be addressed in more depth during June budget work sessions. It also gives the Board <br /> a chance to discuss in broad terms how the County might assist volunteer departments in areas <br /> such as training coordination,joint purchasing of supplies and equipment, cross-leveling to <br /> minimize duplication of resources, and similar issues. <br /> Staff have provided several attachments to this abstract to provide background information for <br /> the BOCC. A staff memo outlines in more detail some of the issues mentioned in this abstract. <br /> A handout comprised of PowerPoint slides describes some of the structure currently in place at <br /> the federal, State, and County level to provide assistance to volunteer departments. Previous <br />