Agenda - 02-06-1995 - IX-A - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No U-A ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: February 6, 1995 SUBJECT: Rescue Squad Grant Matching Funds ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT Emergency Management PUBLIC HEARING YES NO x -------------------------------- ------------------------------- ATTACHMENT(S) INFORMATION CONTACT 12/27/94 Letter from OCRS Nick Waters, ext 3030 9/29/94 Staff Report TELEPHONE NUMBER Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Mebane 227-2031 Durham 688-7331 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PURPOSE: To consider a request from the Orange County Rescue Squad (OCRS) and South Orange Rescue Squad (SORS) to provide matching funds for rescue equipment grants approved by the Department of Insurance. BACKGROUND: Last Spring, in response to a SORS proposal to consider a rescue service district tax, the Board of Commissioners asked staff to conduct an analysis of rescue service delivery needs and options in Orange County. Over the summer, County staff, rescue squad representatives, and members of other interested emergency response agencies conducted a series of meetings to discuss those topics. This group reviewed historical levels of rescue service and incidence of rescue calls, desired levels of service, and options for providing rescue service. The group reached general agreement that rescue service delivery should be viewed from a Countywide perspective. At the October 5, 1994 meeting, the Board of Commissioners received the attached staff report outlining plans for the provision of Countywide rescue service. The key point of the plan was agreement that OCRS would provide heavy rescue coverage throughout the County, SORS would provide technical rescue (e.g. high angle/low angle, confined space, swift water) throughout the County, and the rescue squads and fire departments would work to provide light vehicle extrication throughout the County. The staff report indicated that work remained to be done on the question of funding, and also included a recommendation that the County consider providing matching funds -should one or both squads receive 1995 State grant funds for rescue equipment. Following unsuccessful grant requests the past two years, OCRS has received a $14,910 grant, and SORS has received a $14,750 grant. State grant funding must be matched dollar for dollar with local funding. Staff recommends that the Board approve an appropriation of $30,000 from County Capital Project Fund Balance. $10,000 would be designated for OCRS, and $10,000 for SORS, with both squads providing the remaining matching funds from their other local revenue sources. The remaining $10,000 would be used for high priority rescue equipment/training to support the "centralized resource" concept outlined in the September 1994 staff report.