Agenda - 05-23-2005-w1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

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