By Ismail Turay Jr.
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Copyright 2006 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
FAIRBORN, Ohio — The city of Fairborn and Beavercreek Twp. are finalizing the details of a partnership that calls for staffing a single firehouse with personnel and equipment from both municipalities.
The crew from the firehouse, which is under construction in Fairborn, near the Beavercreek Twp. line, would respond to emergencies in a district in both jurisdictions.
The plan, the only one of its kind in the area, will be finalized within the next month or so, Beavercreek Twp. Trustee Bob Glaser said.
The township’s fire department also services the city of Beavercreek.
Under the agreement, each municipality will staff the fire station, at 2200 Commerce Center Blvd., with two firefighters, who will remain on their respective city and township payrolls. In addition, Fairborn will provide the fire engine. The ambulance will come from Beavercreek Twp.
Both municipalities will share the cost of the building maintenance and utilities. However, the construction is being funded solely by Fairborn taxpayers, who passed a levy nearly two years ago to build the structure.
“We are trying to do this as a cost saving to taxpayers,” Glaser said.
Fairborn Fire Chief Mike Riley and Glaser agreed that forming the partnership made sense because the firehouse is located near the Fairborn and Beavercreek Twp. line. Spending more than $3 million to build another station in Beavercreek Twp. would have been senseless, Glaser said.
Fairborn will save thousands of dollars annually by not having to use additional resources, which the township will provide, Riley said, adding that without the agreement the station will be staffed with two people.
“The area is growing and the people are moving in daily, so we needed” a station in that section to respond to emergencies quickly, said Mark Thomas, Beavercreek Twp. fire chief said.
The estimated 10,000 people the station will service in the joint district will also benefit financially, he said.
Their fire insurance cost will likely decrease because of the nearness of a fire station, allowing a response to any location in the district within six minutes, according to the fire chiefs.
Although such agreements between two jurisdictions are new to the area, it’s more prevalent on the West Coast, Riley said, adding that the Department of Homeland Security is encouraging interjurisdiction partnerships nationwide. “Everybody’s learning that there’s more power in working together and you get more bang for the buck,” Riley said.