Minutes 03-22-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Orange Grove Fire Department • Orange Rural Fire Department • White Cross Fire Department • South Orange Rescue Squad • Mebane Fire Department * • North Chatham Fire Dept. * '`Adjunct Members Volunteer/Career • Aside from Chapel Hill and Carrboro, every other department serving Orange County is either fully volunteer or a mix of volunteer and paid staff. • Volunteer fire and rescue departments have historically been the norm in places like North Carolina, which only recently has begun to experience significant urbanization • Volunteer emergency service personnel represent the best of our citizens, those friends and neighbors who not only willingly answer calls during the middle of the night, but also � risk their lives to save life and limb. � Volunteer Cost Savings • To replace volunteer services in Orange County with paid staff at current staffing levels would cost taxpayers at least$17 million per year. • This figure jumps to at least $27 million within the next few years once seven anticipated stations are completed. A HISTORY OF PROGRESS • Group Gear Purchases & Equipment Standardization • Local Spending Initiative ("Buying Locar') • Establishment & Enhancement of County-Wide Mutual Aid System • Major Resource Sharing • Active Pursuit of Grants • Children's Fire Safety House • Policy Development • Hardship Fund • Outside Speakers Forum Thirteen independent departments work together to form the core of fire and rescue services for Orange County Countywide Mutual Aid System • OCCA spearheaded the original countywide mutual aid system in 1994. • Ensured a standardized, multi-departmental response to fires outside of municipal boundaries. • In 2005, the OCCA revised the mutual aid compact to include a three-department response to areas outside of municipal areas to satisfy ISO requirements.