Cohoes and Watervliet Consider Merger

[INIT915 1,119]

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Watervliet-and-Cohoes-firefighting-merger-savings-822291.php

COHOES -- Merging the Cohoes and Watervliet fire departments is one of three options presented in a report released Friday afternoon.

The "cooperation and consolidation study" estimates that from $253,000 to $305,000 could be saved by eliminating one of the two fire chief posts; reorganizing the department rank structure; closing a firehouse in Cohoes; redeploying firefighters; managing overtime; and cutting administrative posts.

We are all going to start seeing more and more of this.

Edited November 19, 2010 by INIT915

[efdcapt115 1,511]

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Watervliet-and-Cohoes-firefighting-merger-savings-822291.php

We are all going to start seeing more and more of this.

Suddenly it seems like nobody wants to have their own fire chief anymore. They all want to share one.

[CTFF 65]

Suddenly it seems like nobody wants to have their own fire chief anymore. They all want to share one.

Not in Stamford. We've got politcians who can hire 51 more firefighters and it won't cost anymore then it alreadys does (yeah right).

[nysff 18]

This is not the first time that the two cities have investigated a combined fire department. Previous studies conducted in the 90's included combining Watervliet, Cohoes, Green Island, and the city of Troy into a regional fire department. That plan went as far as this plan most likely will.

The current study calls for the elimination of Cohoes Ladder 1 and the closing of a Cohoes station. The city of Cohoes would then rely on the City of Watervliet/Village of Green Island tower, which is housed at Watervliet's station and staffed by 1 firefighter. When there is a request for the tower, more manpower is obtained by taking another unit out of service for Watervliet. Green Island does not provide manpower to staff the tower.

Another interesting topic of the report is that Green Island is included in the studies data. The village did not want to be part of the study and the Mayor of Green Island wants to maintain their own fire department.

[houlidsa 76]

On the subject of shared services. The below article below talks about when North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue (NJ) was formed. This article points out considerations and obstacles that most never consider. Especially why a project like this could take years and also why some would opt out. However the quote that made me search out and find this old article was one quote: “They took four small, understaffed departments and made one large, understaffed department,”.

http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/in-it-together.html