First of a two-part series that looks at a county-funded study and the potential for resulting changes in the years ahead

Out-of-town police cars and red pickup trucks dotted the Springfield Township Civic Center parking lot recently when representatives from five communities arrived to hear results obtained from a yearlong look into local firefighting practices.
Springfield Township Supervisor Collin Walls opened his portion of the evening’s remarks by quoting an East Coast official.
‘A New Jersey mayor’said ‘in order to make a real difference, we need to make deep, fundamental changes in the way we operate,?? Walls began. ?’We need a strong commitment to shared services.??
As a longtime proponent of decreasing cost and increasing efficiency through shared services in government and other organizations, Walls told the group’made up mostly of fire, police and township officials’that each of the communities involved in the study is experiencing similar challenges in providing fire services.
Launched March 19, 2007 and presented Feb. 26 in Springfield Township, The Northwest Oakland County Fire Collaboration Feasibility Study, was designed to explore options for shared service, specifically fire and emergency medical support between Springfield, Groveland, Rose and Holly townships, along with the Village of Holly.
The study was conducted by Plante and Moran and funded through a $66,000 grant from the Oakland County Capital and Cooperative Initiatives Revolving Fund (CCIRF).
Representatives from Plante and Moran first reviewed documents and made site visits to each community in order to gain detailed information on current fire operations.
Utilizing a 10-member steering committee’fire representatives from each community addressed specific operational issues; township or village supervisors addressed managerial and financial mattes’Plante and Moran then facilitated a series of meetings to establish options for collaboration and/or consolidation of local fire departments, focusing on opportunities for cost savings and improved service levels.
The group also looked at potential outcomes if department continues to operate at status quo.
‘There is a risk of doing nothing,? Walls said during the presentation. ‘None of us individually will be able to meet challenges of future.?
One challenge, he said, is the increasing pressure from county-wide fire groups, most of which are administered by large, full-time departments.
The groups have an impact on continually increasing training requirements, and while frequent firefighter training is important for safety, both of the firefighter and the residents, it’s difficult on small departments.
‘We are all looking at struggling with maintaining adequate trained personnel, and continually diminishing paid on-call resources,? said Walls. ‘Our departments serve as training grounds to other full time departments. We need a proactive long-term solution for the entire area.?
According to demographic information presented in Plante and Moran’s 89-page report, the five communities together have an approximate total population of 38,000 residents and an area covering about 144 square miles of land in the Northwest corner of Oakland County.
With the exception of the Village of Holly and the Dixie Highway Corridor in Springfield Township, the area consists mostly of rural residential communities, open spaces and little commercial or industrial development.
Currently, the five communities are covered by four individual fire departments. The North Oakland County Fire Authority (NOCFA) services both Holly Township and Rose
Township, and the remaining three communities receive fire service from their own fire department.
Curious? Check out the 89-page report created by Plante and Moran on Oakland County’s website at oakgov.com. From the homepage, navigate to Browse Oakland County, cross boundary services, interact, download templates, reports, Northwest Oakland County Fire Collaboration Feasibility Study.
Then come back next week as The Clarkston News looks at the study results and talks to Springfield Township officials and others who are faced with choosing to move ahead with recommendations’or not.