Economics of Fire Protection

There is a set of interesting articles in the Louisville Courier-Journal regarding suburban fire protection districts. There is great debate in Jefferson County Kentucky regarding merging fire districts together forming one big department or a few small ones. The debate goes on with regard to this merger.

I tend to look at the fiscal part of the fire services on a macro level or a per capita basis of providing protection. While this is not an exact science and there should be a greater matrix on looking at the quality of a particular department as well as the costs that it takes to run it, the per capita cost can give one a guide to the cost of fire protection. Services vary for example, some departments provided EMS to its residents, while others are combination departments having both career and volunteers provide services. Then there are all volunteer departments as well as all paid departments having all career firefighters. When looking at the per capita spending it is important to understand exactly the services that are being offered for the money.

Per capita spending on public safety and specifically in fire protection varies widely across the country states and counties. For example in my community we are providing fire protection services for $143 per capita per year. In the next community near my house (1/4 mile) they are spending $25 per capita on fire protection, and in the city nearby they spend $250 per capita on fire protection.  In Jefferson County Kentucky the proposal is that for $125 million, fire protection can be provided to the entire community. That would be 17 departments merging into one. The per capita cost of that in Jefferson County would be $167.

The services provided in each of the communities mentioned above do vary.  My community has a part career and volunteer force.  The community next to me is an all volunteer force.  As you can see the funding of an organization by examining per capita spending at a macro level is one metric that should not be ignored in public safety.  It will be difficult to balance the services in the mergers between an organization spending $25 per capita and another spending $250 per capita as there would be some extensive service balancing.

In general if efficiencies can be increased and levels of service increased while maintaining steady per capita spending over time merger should happen. The fire service is here to help people and render care. We should all do this to the highest level that we can. If we analyze the financial impact of providing services, increasing resources where they are needed and decreasing in other areas that are over funded, we can provide a better net product.

It seems that the fire service, police and EMS are not immune to budget constraints in every community across the country. I do feel in Indiana we are in better shape than in other states around us. Fire departments and fire administrators must be cognizant of the financial implications of providing public safety. We must remain diligent in looking at data and providing the highest level of service that we can afford for the taxpaying public. If merger is in the cards, and it provides a better service to the public, then it should happen and as public officials we should not be in the way.

Public safety is near and dear to my heart. I serve on the Board of Trustees for the Georgetown Township Fire Protection District  I'm an alumnus of the National Fire Academy and served as a volunteer firefighter for 13 years.