Name of Proposed Regional Fire Department Divides Dexter Village Council

For the second time this month, the name of a proposed regional fire department in Dexter met with mixed response from Dexter Village Council trustees.

Officials in Dexter and the surrounding townships — Webster, Scio and Dexter townships — have been in negotiations for the past two years to develop a plan to merge Scio and Dexter's departments into one unit. However, one issue that has continually stalled the village's decision to press forward involves changing the name of the proposed department from the Dexter Area Fire Department (DAFD) to Washtenaw Fire and Rescue.

During Monday's village council meeting, Trustee Jim Carson, who has remained vocal in his opposition to a name change, expressed frustration with "a lack of negotiation" on the part of the regional committee.

"I don't see any negotiation going on here," Carson said, referring to a draft resolution that does not include support for the department's current name.

The resolution also does not specifically address where the department's main headquarters would be located — another sticking point for the council.

Shawn Keough, committee chairman and village president, said he doesn't feel that the committee's job is to negotiate terms of an interlocal agreement between the participating municipalities.

"I don't know where that perception of negotiation came from. This isn't four men sitting in a room trading one thing for another," Keough said. "Our thought has been, let the new department define their home."

Carson and Trustee Paul Cousins said DAFD's Station 1, located on Main Street in the Village of Dexter, is centrally located in proximity to surrounding municipalities. Therefore, it is the prime location to serve as a home base for the consolidated department, they said.

"There is this perception that by consolidating the two departments, Dexter is giving up something," Keough said. "What are you giving up? By consolidating, we offer better service to our residents. Our focus should be every station as part of a whole.

"The name and location of the department is at the bottom of my list of priorities," Keough added. "At the end of the day, I don't think the user (cares) about the name on the side of a (fire) engine."

"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. Changing the name symbolizes a new beginning, but it doesn't mean that we are going to forget our past," he said.

In a previous story, Jason Hilberer, president of the Dexter Firefighters Association, said it will cost approximately $133,818 to change the name on Scio and Dexter's fire equipment, trucks and uniforms. Conversely, he said, it would cost $70,508 to change just the DAFD name or $63,310 to change just Scio's name. Those prices do not reflect the cost of changing signs at each station, letterheads and bank accounts, he said.

State Rep. Mark Ouimet (R-Scio Township) said disagreements over department name changes are common across Michigan.

"I see these disagreements all the time," he said. "If you look at the biggest issues that affect department consolidation, it's always the name and the color of the truck. At some point you have to come to an agreement. I don't believe people are concerned about the name of the department coming to pour water on their home."

Ouimet is chairman of the state House's Local, Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs Committee.

Trustee Ray Tell said changing the name of Dexter's fire department after 125 years is not easy.

"We have to come up with a way to acknowledge the service of the DAFD while still recognizing the efforts of the Scio Fire Department. Maybe I'm naive, but I would hate to see (the efforts of the regional committee) break down because of a name change."

Carson said he does not appreciate the implication that he and other members of the council do not want to move forward with a consolidated department.

"By wanting to keep the name, it's implied that I'm not concerned about saving money and providing better service to our residents," he said. "The name is a problem, and I don't think it's as minor as some people believe."

The Dexter Village Council is expected to vote on a resolution of support in favor of the regional fire department at its March 12 meeting.