By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
The structuring of the Village of Waterford’s fire and rescue department could soon be overhauled, based on a proposal presented earlier this month.
The Village Board, in a 6-1 vote, decided to move forward and enlist the services of a consultant to look into a number of issues, including staffing recommendations and a formal job description for the fire chief.
There also is a strong likelihood the village will soon have a Police and Fire Commission in place. It would consist of residents appointed by the Village Board who would take up a variety of issues, including staffing and policy decisions.
“These are some of the backbone decisions that need to be made before we proceed further in a timely fashion,” Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald said.
Currently, firefighters handle rescue calls at some periods of the day, but in general village officials agree there is a shortage of such professionals in the department. This has been cited as one of the top priorities in the reorganization effort under way.
As for the fire chief position, plans call for creating a specific set of job qualifications and requirements necessary to fulfill the duties. The position will, in all likelihood, remain part-time.
Village President Tom Roanhouse was the sole dissenter of moving forward with plans as they stand, explaining he has concerns about taking up the fire chief issue when a person already is assuming the position.
“I feel like we’re circumventing our fire chief and rescue captain,” Roanhouse said. “What happens to them?”
But Trustee and former Fire Chief Steve Denman said the issue is a longstanding one in the community.
“Just so the Board understands, this is not a huge concept,” Denman said. “We’ve been looking at this issue for a long time.”
Rick Huening assumed the responsibilities of fire chief earlier this year when Denman was elected to the Village Board.
“I think this is a very important process,” said Huening, who has been on the fire and rescue department for 22 years.
“If we reorganize and want to make this the best possible department, we’ll have to have a system in place.”
The final component of the village’s study is inevitable. State law requires that communities with populations greater than 5,500 with created police and fire departments have an appointed commission.
With its population hovering around 5,200 people, the village will be required to have a commission in place as future growth takes place.
Roanhouse said he believes the effort can be held off for the time being. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry right now,” Roanhouse said.
But other board members voted to move forward and explore how to create such an appointed body in the village.
The timeline for assembling concrete recommendations for all three components of the reorganization remains open-ended.
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