Orange County NC Website
Cedar Grove <br />Summary <br />The department adequately serves the district; its two stations are seven miles apart by road. The <br />department can meet community needs; it can supply 4,500 gallons of water to a structure fire. <br />The department works with neighboring districts and operates under a new multi-department <br />response protocol. The population is about 2,500 with $220 million in property value. Station <br />apparatus with equipment, capacity and age are provided. Growth will not impact the coverage <br />enough to require a new station in the near future. <br />State Highway 86 and 49 cut across district, lending to accidents and exposure to hazardous <br />materials. The agriculture nature also provides space for fires. The department has committed its <br />members adequately to meets community needs. The 36 total members have an average tenure of <br />14 years. Ten of the members are medical first responders. Response time is slowing down. <br />Cedar Grove's three portable radios at 800MHz are insufficient to carry demand. Apparatus <br />replacements in the near future will cost about $350,000. Station renovations will be required in <br />10 to 15 years. SAGE recommends planning a future station, certify and document water sources <br />for ISO rating, and increase the tax to cover daytime working hours. <br />Increasing the tax rate from .73 to .78 will generate $10,500 to pay for two part-time staff during <br />daytime hours. This will increase coverage and decrease response times. The department is rated <br />9S by ISO. Reducing the rate is possible and will lower insurance premiums. The department <br />trains weekly at the Chapel Hill Training Center. <br />Issues Not Addressed <br />1. Value of structure <br />2. Level of risk <br />3. Recommend a strategy for addressing longer-term demands within the County <br />4. Countywide public education programs on public safety and being self sufficient in disasters. <br />5. Identify the population in the unincorporated areas of Orange County serve <br />6. opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce cost, or improve the overall service <br />7. Provide an estimated cost (operating and capital) of recommended solutions or alternative <br />solutions proposed. <br />8. Identify countywide training facility need and specific training standards. <br />List of Original Needs <br />a. Effectiveness, appropriateness, demand, and response capability: The department adequately <br />serves the district; its two stations are seven miles apart by road. The department can meet <br />community needs; it can supply 4,500 gallons of water to a structure fire. <br />b. Strength of current configuration and operations: The department works with neighboring <br />districts and operates under a new multi-department response protocol. <br />c. Weakness of current and planned configuration and operation: State Highway 86 and 49 cut <br />across district, lending to accidents and exposure to hazardous materials. The agriculture <br />nature also provides space for fires. <br />r 5 <br />