MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Manitou Incorporated, the firm jointly hired by South Orange and Maplewood to analyze the two towns’ fire departments and determine whether their consolidation would be beneficial, released its report earlier this month, which concludes that a joint fire department would not only save the towns money, but would likely improve service.
The towns hired Manitou, a nationally recognized management consulting firm that specializes in fire and emergency services, to identify ways to increase fire department efficiency and possibly form a merger, all while providing a high quality of service to the two towns, and maintaining an appropriate level of personnel and equipment to respond to incidents.
“Our findings are clear — the communities of Maplewood and South Orange would be better served by combining their fire departments into a single entity,” the report from Manitou read. “During our analysis, we found robust evidence that increased efficiency, better service and cost savings are possible through a consolidation of the two separate fire departments into a single entity.”
Neither Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca nor South Orange President Sheena Collum is surprised by these findings.
“Before the report I thought we could get better responses to emergencies with the consolidation of the two fire departments,” DeLuca recently told the News-Record via email. “The report confirmed that more firefighters and fire apparatus would respond to alarms. The report also found we could operate more efficiently and reduce operating and capital costs. And it showed we could do this without closing a firehouse or laying off firefighters. The report strengthened my resolve to try and make this happen.”
Collum is also resolved to pursue merging the fire departments, hoping that a successful completion will inspire others and lead to savings for taxpayers throughout New Jersey.
“I support moving forward, although there is still a lot to be discussed and/or negotiated,” Collum recently told the News-Record via email. “New Jersey, as a whole, has vast opportunities to save taxpayers money while improving efficiencies in delivery of services across many municipal functions. In the absence of strong leadership at the state level and a strong ‘home rule’ mentality that I believe is a detriment to residents, most towns don’t aggressively pursue options such as we have undertaken. If South Orange and Maplewood are successful in consolidating our fire departments, we will be the only two paid fire departments in the state to have accomplished this and I hope it leads to more following suit. Personally, I believe fire services should be regionalized, but sometimes starting with low hanging fruit will result in more immediate results.”
Manitou laid out a series of recommendations to coordinate the operations of the MFD and SOFD ultimately leading to the merger. Recommendations include: an automatic joint response to smoke in a building alarms and to high life-hazard alarms; unifying dispatch at REMCS, a regional emergency dispatcher; planning for a coordinated upgrade to a new interoperable radio system on statewide channels; exploring the feasibility of adopting Red Alert software, a records-keeping program under a common license; merging training programs; consolidating staffing options; and further analysis of how to merge the two departments.
DeLuca reaffirmed that more analysis is necessary. According to the mayor, the report is a starting point that will guide the two towns as they pursue this matter.
“I thought the report was comprehensive and professionally done,” DeLuca said. “It identified items that will need to be discussed and negotiated by the working group of two elected officials and administrator from each town. Some of these items include dispatching protocols, provision of emergency medical services and fire inspection services. Some of these are easier than others and will require serious discussion and negotiations.”
Collum and DeLuca are in agreement, however Collum also pointed out that there are many challenges involved in merging the two fire departments.
“The report is simply a road map and there’s a lot to be negotiated, including but not limited to cost sharing and capital assets allocation, along with governance structure,” Collum said. “Operationally, there are specific areas that need further review to understand what is the best practice including emergency medical services, inspections and dispatch. The interoperability of communications is also important as South Orange is currently moving to a statewide system for our radios known as P25. As many residents have raised in the past, South Orange is civil service and Maplewood is not; that is why we have enlisted the assistance of the Department of Community Affairs to assist us in understanding the legal options available to us if the decision is to move forward.”
The next step in the process is a joint meeting and public presentation from Manitou on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, 1 SOPAC Way.
“We welcome everyone to attend a presentation from our consultant and the governing bodies will be deliberating on what the next steps will be,” Collum said. “A consultant’s report is merely that — a report. There are many stakeholders, including our firefighters, who were an instrumental part of the process, that need to be heard from. This process will be transparent and the outcome is contingent on both towns realizing cost savings while not comprising the levels of superior coverage and services our residents currently benefit from. To date, our working group has been moving forward in good faith without ego and nonsense about ‘who does what better.’ We’re working with data, best practices and a desire to improve fire service operations for both of our towns.”
Additionally, should the towns be unable to merge fire departments, the report also provides recommendations to improve the performance of the individual departments.
“Although we made a number of observations of the Maplewood Fire Department, many of them do not rise to the level of firm recommendations,” the report reads. “The MFD has an administrative structure in place, supported by a small but competent staff that achieves considerable results for the town and its residents.”
Manitou offered just one recommendation for the Maplewood Fire Department: to consider upgrading an on-duty firefighter position at headquarters to a company officer to provide direct unit-level supervision.
“We made a number of recommendations to strengthen the SOFD, particularly with regard to administration,” the report reads. “Many of these concerns are issued of limited resources, and have been exacerbated by a long period without a permanent chief of department.”
Manitou recommends that the South Orange Fire Department review civil service job titles for firefighters and EMTs in light of current requirements; comprehensively update administrative policies; view the department’s operating budget, which is currently small and has not been updated in several years; develop a strategic plan; better utilize existing software to record information; develop a formal health and safety program; consider hiring a part-time civilian administrative support position; develop a training program and track records accordingly to comply with state, insurance and national standards; consider developing criteria for the department to take a limited emergency medical support role; contract with a specialist fire dispatch provider; formally record actual response time information; consider ensuring that at least two EMT-certified personnel are on duty each shift; and dispose of spare equipment in storage.
“In light of our overriding recommendations for consolidation, we do not advocate any leadership changes in the near term,” the report reads.
Manitou firmly believes that merging the departments is the best course of action for the two towns.
“Lastly, we address the citizens of South Orange and Maplewood,” the report reads. “We trust that you will treat this study, done in good faith, by a team of experts, objectively. We believe that the two agencies will be stronger together, and that the improved services will be a benefit to both towns. We also believe that a larger, merged agency can create better working conditions and professional opportunities for the firefighters and officers in both communities. Efforts to merge services are seldom easy, but your elected leadership has taken an important step by commissioning this report.”
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