Study Approved to Examine Fire Service Consolidation between Ferndale, Hazel Park

The cities of Ferndale and Hazel Park are one step closer to discovering the benefits of consolidating fire departments as Ferndale City Council approved a study through the Michigan Municipal League's Shared Services Initiative on March 14.

Contracted by the MML, the Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) will conduct the study.

Hazel Park’s City Council had already approved ESCI to conduct the same study. The results are to be reported to the council by the end of November.

The contract for the study is valued at about $43,000. The Michigan Municipal League will pay for about half of the contract, with the balance split between Ferndale and Hazel Park, about $12,000 per city.

ESCI bid against two other companies and submitted the lowest bid to contract the services, according to Ray Riggs, a Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) consultant who has been working with both municipalities. He said ESCI is the "most competent and most qualified" company that placed a bid for the study.

The company has prior experience in fire department consolidation, Riggs said. He added that the company employs former elected officials and individuals with experience working in the fire service.

The initiative will be contracted through the MML and not through the cities of Ferndale and Hazel Park.

"The merging of departments might not decrease costs. It could be cost-neutral or cost more," he said. "We're hoping for a savings, but both departments are running pretty lean already."

Riggs said the biggest advantage, however, is stabilizing the funding source.

“The biggest benefit is going to be a stabilized funding source in terms of an authority,” said Riggs.

This authority, which would have to be voted on by residents of both cities, would create a dedicated funding source for fire services and pull the departments out of the cities' general funds.

During the Ferndale City Council meeting May 14, residents had questions about the consolidation, staffing numbers and costs. Mayor Dave Coulter said the council didn't want to speak ahead of the study but said the study will provide the information Ferndale will need to make the decision.

One resident asked whether Ferndale would shut down the second fire station at 1070 E. Nine Mile Rd. Riggs replied that if a consolidation were to take place, he didn't see a scenario where that station would be closed because it is centrally located.

ECSI will present its results to the cities, and the cities will choose which aspects of the study to adopt into the fire departments, Riggs said. Ferndale's council members said they hope the results will reveal several ways for both fire departments to operate with an already-limited staff.

Riggs said consolidation is a complex and monumental task. "It won't happen overnight, " he said.

"This is a way to stop losing firemen and services. I think we get a big gain," Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan said. "We have to get out of the general fund to survive."

The two cities, along with various other south Oakland County cities, are already part of OAKWAY, a mutual aid agreement that shares fire services in the event of large incidents. Ferndale already provides fire and emergency medical services to Pleasant Ridge and fire services to Royal Oak Township.