FLOYD COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) -- Stephen Byrd worries a fire at his house would be extra devastating, because he believes it might take firefighters an extended amount of time to arrive.
"It's going to be a foundation by the time they get there," he said.
Byrd lives southwest of New Albany in a rural township called Franklin.
"That's probably the general rule for Franklin Township," he said. "If you've got a house fire, make sure your family members meet at one location underneath the elm tree or end of the drive or whatever, because it's going to take a while."
At a meeting of Floyd County Commissioners on Tuesday night, Commissioner Tim Kamer confirmed what Byrd already knew. Franklin doesn't have the protection found in other parts of Floyd County, since it lacks a fire department. In fact, the whole county is a patchwork of fire districts, and response times and collaboration between departments can vary.
"Our fire service isn't below the national standard, but there's some opportunity for our EMS service to improve," Kamer said. "Response times are of the utmost importance. If you have a fire or a medical emergency, you want to get someone there as quickly as possible."
While Kamer said protection is good, he wonders if it could be better if the county consolidated some of its existing fire districts into one. He's been studying the idea since December, and during the Tuesday meeting, he summarized a subcommittee's findings.
Across the county, various fires crews average a response time of 6 minutes and 37 seconds. EMS averages a response time of 9 minutes and 34 seconds to a call in New Albany, 12 minutes and 44 seconds to one in Georgetown, 12 minutes and 29 seconds to one in Floyds Knobs and 16 minutes and 57 seconds to one in Greenville.
Kamer says the study made various conclusions:
- Floyd County has an overall "lack of leadership collaboration" between fire districts
- Fire departments buy equipment independently
- Training is not occurring between the four districts (New Albany, Greenville, Lafayette and New Albany)
- Consolidating would not necessarily mean a reduction in headcount
- Greenville and Lafayette Townships could run more efficiently by merging
- New Albany and Georgetown could form agreements to provide Franklin Township better protection
"As the county continues to grow, we need to figure out how we have one cohesive solution," he said.
But at the end of the meeting, several key questions remained: Would any departments be exempt? Would the merger save the county money? Would it cost taxpayers more?
"Who's going to be the chief?" added Byrd.
Byrd might support a merged district one day, but he said he's not there yet.
"It takes at least a three-year survey and study to do this correctly not just over a six-month period," he said.
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