Dexter Firefighters Petition Village Council with Concerns for Proposed Regional Fire Department

Concerns over a proposed consolidation of the Dexter Village and Scio Township fire departments were brought before the village council during their regular meeting on Monday.

Two salient issues addressed by members of the (DAFD) included frustrations over a departmental name change and issues related to staffing a regional department.

"We feel that without a plan to merge 45 employees from two different departments and different personalities, it sets this whole thing up for failure," Jason Hilberer, president of the Dexter Firefighters Association said. "Everything we've read shows that all decisions in this proposed consolidation would default back to a chief, who hasn't been appointed yet."

Trustee Paul Cousins asked Hilberer how the DAFD would solve the personality issue.

"Every organization has their own personalities they deal with. If you threw everyone in one room, in this case a fire department, and asked them to solve their problems, some would walk away," Hilberer said.

He said firefighters would like to see the regional committee employ a consulting firm that specializes in dealing with merging organizations.

Dexter officials have been working with representatives from Scio, Webster, Lima and Dexter townships for more than two years to develop a plan to merge the two departments in order to supply better coverage for local residents.

Under the current system, Scio Township firefighters are responsible for the 34-square-mile township west of Ann Arbor, operating from a fire station on Zeeb Road. The DAFD services all of the Village of Dexter, Webster Township, 60 percent of Dexter Township, and 40 percent of Lima Township. Its main station is on Main Street in Dexter, and a new substation opened on North Territorial in Dexter Township in 2011. Both departments are staffed with a combination of full-time and paid on-call firefighters.

What's in a name?

Hilberer said one of the biggest concerns firefighters' have expressed involves changing the name of the DAFD to Washtenaw Fire and Rescue.

"The Dexter Area Fire Department has been around for close to 125 years and now we're asking that you protect us as we've protected Dexter," Hilberer said.

He said changing the department's name does not make any sense because the combined department would not be taking on any more coverage area.

"I could see if we were combining with Manchester or Chelsea or Ann Arbor, but we will be protecting areas we already cover," he said.

Village President Shawn Keough said changing the department's name shows unity and commitment to work alongside Scio Township.

"When we started this two years ago, our goal was to develop a model where we wouldn't have to change the name again if other municipalities joined in the future," he said. "Changing the name symbolizes a new beginning, but it doesn't mean that we are going to forget our past. There are a lot of ways to retain the history of the DAFD and I don't think changing the department's name means we're not proud of who we are."

Hilberer said it will cost approximately $133,818 to change the name on both Scio and Dexter's fire equipment, trucks and uniforms. Conversly he said it would cost $70,508 to change just the DAFD name or $63,310 to change Scio's name.

"That does not include the cost of changing our signs at each station, letterheads and accounts," he said.

David Read, Scio Township trustee, said he was "deeply discouraged" at the comments made during the council meeting.

"We held a public comment period on Jan. 17 to hear these comments and we only heard from Webster and Dexter townships," he said. "Now we've come this far and it sounds like we're focusing on the past. All I'm hearing is 'Dexter is going to lose their name' and 'Dexter is going to lose its history.' Every time someone says these comments, it's a slap in the face to Scio Township firefighters.

"By saying this is just a Dexter problem, it's ignoring the contributions of Scio firefighters."

Following the discussion, Keough asked the board for issues he can take to the regional committee meeting on Wednesday.

Trustees Jim Carson, Donna Fisher, Jim Smith and Paul Cousins said they do not agree with changing the DAFD's name and would also like to see the main administrative building for the proposed department remain within the village. Trustee Joe Semifero said changing the name or location of the department should not be an issue.

"I was ready to vote on this six months ago," Semifero said. "I don't care what name it is or where the administrative offices are. I care about getting the best service for our residents. The fact that we will be getting twice the amount of coverage for everyone is great. No matter what the name is, it should not be the deciding factor in this merger."

Scio Township recently approved a resolution of support for the regional effort and the draft interlocal agreement. Keough asked the board to consider a similiar resolution at the council's next meeting on Feb. 27.