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17 <br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMIVIISSIO111ER5 <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />IVleeting Date: May 23, 2005 <br />. Action Agen~ <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service Issues <br />DEPARTMENT: ManagerlEmergency PUBLIC HEARING: {YIN) Na <br />Management <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />5/20/05 Staff Memo <br />PowerPaint Slides <br /># 0105194 BOGG Agenda Abstract wl <br />Attachments <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Jahn Link or Rbd Visser, ext 2300 <br />Jack Ball, ext 3030 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 7328181 <br />Chapel Hill '968-4501 <br />Durham 688 X331 <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 />gACi4GROUND: Volunteers continue to play a vital rate in the delivery of fire protection, fire <br />suppression, and rescue services throughout Orange County. This includes response not only <br />during day-ta-day emergency situations, bud also during larger events such as manmade or <br />natural disasters or hazardous weather situations. Stresses an 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, #hese 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 nom~al weekday <br />business hours. This in tum has placed more strain on volunteer departmental budgets, and <br />has increased the competition far scarce tax dollars to address the increasing personnel, . <br />operating and capital casts 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 same 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 Eiroad 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 far <br />the BOGC. A staff memo outlines in more detail same of the issues men#ioned in this abstract. <br />A handout comprised of PawerPoint slides describes some of the structure currently in place at <br />the federal, State, and County level to provide assistance to votunteer departments. Previous <br />