By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The City of Bucyrus is no stranger to working with the townships in the county, especially when it comes to the Central Joint Ambulance District or District Advisory Council for the Health District. An email that was supposed to be a private inquiry may just expand that relationship.
Milton Underwood, secretary/treasurer of the Central Joint Ambulance District (CJAD), a Dallas Township trustee, and a volunteer firefighter, approached the Bucyrus City Council Tuesday night pertaining to an email that came his way. That email, from Mayor Jeff Reser to a county commissioner, questioned whether it was possible to form a joint fire department district.
“We’re very preliminary of anything we’re thinking about right now,” Reser said.
Underwood came out in support of a joint Fire and EMS district, pointing to the collaboration CJAD has seen since its inception 15 years ago. He added that the townships and city have been able to save around $2.5 million with the ambulance district. CJAD is currently formed out of 14 of the 16 townships in the county, the City of Bucyrus, and the Village of New Washington.
“I know we’ve been a part of the Central Joint Ambulance District for many years, and the zero subsidy has been very nice, not only your bottom line, but the city’s bottom line,” said Council President Sis Love.
Reser said he asked the commissioner whether anyone had ever thought of having a joint fire district in the future.
“We were just concerned that we’re one of the few that don’t have an EMS program in our city, what would our subsidy be? How would the city get the money to fund those subsidies?” Reser said. “We wanted to be proactive.”
Reser noted the email was only supposed to be a personal discussion as to whether the idea was feasible. He cautioned that a decision was not made, nor had the matter been brought before council.
“We’re just trying to make efficient use of tax dollars,” he added.
“It’s certainly going to be a collaboration of some kind,” Love stated. “We have no intention whatsoever of creating us a little island . . . The people in Crawford County are as much a part of the city as we are of Crawford County. That is something that would always be uppermost in our minds.”
Underwood and Love acknowledged that changes were coming that would affect most fire departments in the county, both notably addressing Obamacare.
“I think we’re all up for discussion. Anything that’s better for the people,” Underwood said. “The mutual aid and working back and forth would be nice.”
Resolution 219-2016 was pulled after Councilman Bill O’Rourke made a request to have the engineer’s quotes and bids of a possible new city hall truss roof provided to all council members. The resolution, brought to council by the Public Lands and Buildings Committee, would have asked engineering firm Brandstetter Carroll to provide schematics for a pitched metal frame roof.
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