The Issue of Consolidation

Perhaps the best thing I have gotten to accomplish in my undergraduate career is the completion of a thesis concerning the issue of consolidation. This blog post is part of my thesis. I was lucky enough to present at the PA State Capital at a conference, be awarded one of the "Best Papers" at another conference, and am awaiting to hear on publication date from a firefighter magazine. 

Volunteer fire departments are common the United States.  Approximately 73% of all departments in the United States are volunteer-based, with some 800,000 volunteers. In Pennsylvania, the fire departments are 96.1% volunteer, and the approximately 1,500 Pennsylvania volunteer fire departments produce a tax savings of approximately $6.0 billion a year for state and local government, according to a report done by the Pennsylvania’s Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.  

These problems have caused serious strains on the volunteer fire service in areas throughout the country, but Pennsylvania has specifically experienced some issues.  At one time, more departments were necessary so that adequate units would respond to incidents in a timely manner. There were issues with response times because of topography of areas and the capabilities of apparatus. Now, with advances in these resources, that is not the case. Today, many of these departments are suffering from such severe staffing and funding shortages that they are sometimes unable to satisfactorily respond to incidents or provide adequate equipment for their department. This includes responding to incidents short-handed and responders not having personal protection equipment to protect themselves. Naturally, this becomes a safety issue as well, for both residents and first responders.

            As volunteer firefighters respond to a broader range of emergencies today, from medical emergencies to terrorism incidents, more training is required. This is not easy for many volunteers, which is one reason why there has been a steady decrease of volunteers of approximately 8,000 per year since 1975, according to State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann.  However, volunteers are still depended upon by many municipalities.

The overabundance of volunteer fire departments did not happen overnight. It is a complex problem that has been created by a variety of groups.  There are aspects of this problem that have been caused by the volunteer departments. Resources, such as pieces of apparatus or specialized equipment, overlap unnecessarily in municipalities or bordering municipalities to “keep up” with the other departments. This results in money and resources that could have been potentially spent or used somewhere in a more efficient manner. Neighboring companies can have strained relationships with each other for the simple fact of pride.

            Some volunteer fire departments have looked to consolidations as potential solutions, despite its unpopularity. However, as the situation continues to get worse; it is time for departments to act. Formal mutual aid agreements, mergers, regionalization, and consolidation are all potential solutions to these problems, and some of these can evolve into one another. These solutions all require change and cooperation, and the levels of complexity vary. Consolidation, which is defined as two or more companies combined operationally, financially, and legally to create one, unified company as a new entity, new name, and new by-laws, is one way to try and solve this problem. It is time consuming and can be difficult. However, an operational consolidation has many potential benefits, which include increased efficiency, increased cost-savings, improvement on utilizing resources, and more, all of which can create an improved service provided to the public.

            Consolidations can take a few years to complete and may have failed attempts before a successful one occurs. There are many obstacles that can make the process difficult. These include turf wars, loss of volunteer membership, belief that consolidation is being used to eliminate positions, underlying cultural issues, loss of identity, loss of tradition, and feeling as if their department is “being taken over” can occur throughout the process. Many of these obstacles do not affect the quality of services that the fire department will ultimately provide. Although consolidation can be risky, it is important to analyze each case on an individual basis to decide what the best option would be. Each case is unique which is what makes it difficult to decide the best option. The most important concern should be providing the best service available to the public. Although the idea of consolidation is not a new issue, the decline in resources has caused it to be more widely recognized and volunteer firefighters are acknowledging that it is time to act. 

Increasing demands and dwindling resources have caused the volunteer fire service to push its limits, burning out members, and scrambling to find resources in order to keep up response and efficient protection. Some fire departments have been looking into the potential of consolidating departments. It involves the blending of cultures and loss of tradition. It is a complex process that requires more than just input from the volunteer fire departments affected.  Commissioner Ed Mann believes that the fire service is at its most critical point and that this area has too many companies. While volunteer firefighters make up the majority of Pennsylvania’s firefighters, there has been a severe drop in manpower: In 1976, Pennsylvania boasted 300,000 volunteer firefighters. Commissioner Mann observes that as of 2012 the number has gone down to about 50,000 volunteers. Despite the decline in volunteers, Pennsylvania has 2,400 volunteer departments, which is much more than any other state. This also works out to more than one fire department per municipality. Although the majority of volunteer firefighters acknowledge that there are issues in response times, funding, and staffing, consolidations are not a popular option. However, more fire administrations are beginning to see the necessity of consolidations and they are the ones looking for a solution.

Consolidations fail for several reasons, such as failure in communication, source of pride, lack of trust, determining risk versus benefit, and other legalities. Firefighters do not always respond well to consolidations. Often, this occurs because of pride and rivalries between companies and consolidations, if they occur, end up unsuccessful. Also, firefighters tend to be less supportive of a consolidation forced by local government entities. Although forced mergers may not be as successful, local government involvement can be useful. Support from the local government tends to produce more success according to Commissioner Mann. However, elected officials often do not want to get involved, due to the negative political publicity that can occur if something like a tax raise needs to occur and local fire chiefs do not want to get local officials involved at times for fear of losing their “power.”

Currently, there is a gap in knowledge and communication between the fire departments, elected officials, and the public. There are many negative connotations to the concept of consolidation, but it can help provide better and more efficient services. Other areas of the countries show successful consolidations. Often, these departments face very similar obstacles and are looking at the same types of potential benefits and drawbacks. The idea of consolidation is general, and it is often brought up with the same goal intended: To create a more efficient response service.

Goals of consolidations often are similar, despite differences in size. The goals of a Paseo County, Florida consolidation were unifying, improving, and equalizing the fire service, centralizing and reducing administration costs, to avoid duplication, strengthen purchasing power, achieve a better insurance rating, and provide better training programs, according to Frazier. Michael Curry’s “An Analysis of Proposed Four Fire District Merger in Ada County” explains that Ada County, Idaho decided to approach merger discussions again after noticing the service duplication, cost comparisons, and noticing that service levels were drastically different between agencies that were occurring. Gary R. Honeycutt cites one success in Oregon, the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue merger that occurred in 1997. It consisted of three companies that were stable but decided to consolidate, and did so successfully, “improving service and lowering the tax burden.”  This is a significant example because it shows that departments do not necessarily have to be in a poor position, whether it be financial or operational, to consolidate and still see a benefit. Consolidating can improve on what already is working. It does not have to be a final effort to save a cause.

Despite the benefits that a successful consolidation can create, the obstacles that companies encounter are often similar as well and need to be recognized and addressed. As the New York State guide “How to Consolidate Fire Protection” notes, many of these obstacles are cultural. These include perceived loss of power/control, turf wars, and even small details such as the name of the station and color of the apparatus. These cultural problems, which may seem petty to those not involved, can be the biggest stumbling block and the main reason as to why consolidation discussions fail. Volunteer firefighter and Captain Scott Garing Jr. of Zelienople, Pennsylvania stated that egos were the biggest obstacles towards consolidations because of “people losing control of their little piece of the pie.” Even from within, volunteer firefighters are acknowledging the problem and their role in the obstacles.

There is also the issue of governance for the volunteer fire service. For example, in Pennsylvania, the Emergency Medical Services Act was initiated as an attempt by the General Assembly to “establish and maintain an effective and efficient EMS system which is accessible on a uniform basis to all PA residents and visitors of the Commonwealth,” and it ultimately designated the Pennsylvania Department of Health as the EMS lead agency for the Commonwealth and it was given the primary responsibility of implementing the act. The Department of Health’s website describes its responsibilities as “The department’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services is responsible for the statewide development and coordination of a comprehensive system to prevent and reduce premature death and disability,” and the EMS system is further broken down into 16 Regional Councils to guide their regions. Currently, there is no comparable statute for the state fire service. The State Fire Commissioner’s office oversees the training programs and certifications offered, assists with the Volunteer Loan Assistance Program and the Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program, Public Education and Information program, and other programs. Not having such a governing body has resulted in the state’s fire service lacking “clear and consistent statutory definition and standards and an overall direction for system planning and development.”  Fire departments have to answer to multiple entities. Improvements need to be made for government, as in more concise and specific government entities. If the fire service were to fall under one government office (the State Fire Commissioner), then it would create clearer lines of communication and an easier route to find resources.

There are obstacles that do directly affect the operational services provided. Training standards are often a stumbling block for fire companies. In Pennsylvania, there is no set statute for the fire service to efficiently and effectively govern them, as according to the Legislative Finance and Budget Committee’s report on Regionalizing Pennsylvania Volunteer Fire Departments. Various sections of law (both at state and municipal levels) govern the fire service, which creates a lack of consistent definitions and guidance. This can affect training standards, which then can be decided by the individual companies. In fact, there are no Pennsylvania standards concerning firefighting training at all. Firefighters are only required to obtain certifications in hazardous materials awareness and be compliant in the National Incident Management Systems courses. Other requirements for training stem from the National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Association for insurance coverage and legal protection. Departments may have different opinions on what is a sufficient amount of training for a volunteer firefighter, even with using NFPA guidelines. Different volunteer departments have different standards. Training requirements can be set by the municipalities but are more often dictated by the company. Multiple departments in the same municipality can have varied training standards, and each company can have many reasons as to why their way is the correct way.  That can cause tension in consolidation talks between companies on deciding how much training to require because it affects volunteers’ time, but it can also affect safety. For a variety of reasons, the obstacles caused by training are key factors in consolidations.

            I surveyed approximately 30 firefighters in Western Pennsylvania on this issue, and it was established that volunteer firefighters are recognizing the same types of obstacles and factors affecting consolidations. However, some differences in answers were significant because they represent the gaps in knowledge for firefighters. All volunteer firefighters involved with the consolidating companies need to have a voice. Without their input, the problem cannot be understood thoroughly, and therefore cannot be answered adequately. No matter what the end result, they are the ones who are going to have to adapt and succeed at whatever consolidations and changes do or do not come about.

Although every volunteer fire company’s situation is different, there is often overlap in how the companies operate. Therefore, many departments are facing the same types of obstacles. This requires the same type of equipment and resources needed to respond to emergency incidents. Volunteer departments know what type of incidents that they tend to respond to and what equipment is most often used.  Also, most departments use automatic aid for incidents which can request specific units for certain incidents. Evaluating this is one way to thoroughly understand what resources are in a department’s response area.

  This point is emphasized by local firefighters; they are acknowledging the overlap of equipment. Evaluating each municipality’s individual needs and relationships with neighboring municipalities can result in allowing companies to better understand what they do and do not need. It also can emphasize where consolidations need to occur. Consolidating resources is a way to ease financial difficulties. Many of these volunteer fire departments have been around for decades; they know what type of incidents tend to occur and what would be pertinent to their needs. The culture of volunteer fire service has many believing that they have to always have the best and newest equipment in order to prove their worth to other departments. This is a cultural problem that needs to be addressed from within the fire service.

While there are these issues at a higher level, firefighters also know it needs to be addressed from within.  In some areas, consolidation has been successful, but the difficulties were acknowledged. Adams Area (Pennsylvania) Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann explains that Adams Area’s consolidation’s biggest obstacle was attitudes against consolidation, and that it came down to convincing those members of “The real meaning of our goals…to provide service to the community.” Mann believes that his department has improved when it comes to pride and loyalty, and that they are now a more cohesive unit. The Adams Area consolidation was ultimately successful in creating more efficient public safety to its residents.

Beliefs on who should consolidate are varied. While a majority believed that it would be best for smaller companies or companies that reside in municipalities with multiple volunteer fire companies, there is some support for widespread consolidation. Berkeley Hills Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief Scott Story believes that Western Pennsylvania would be a premiere starting point for volunteer fire department consolidations in the Commonwealth. Others believed that widespread consolidation will become necessary as well. Scott Garing thinks that, “Every fire department should consolidate with one other department. Reduce the expenditures by half throughout the state. It’s plausible to an extent. There are some rural companies that would not be able to do that. I would say any fire department that is within 10-15ish miles of another fire company should have to consolidate with that company.” For others, the difficulty of consolidation was acknowledged, but so was the eventual necessity of it and the benefits that could occur from it. City of Pittsburgh Assistant Chief Thomas Cook, once a volunteer firefighter and also an instructor, states:

I believe that where it makes sense, consolidation of fire departments in Allegheny County needs to occur. There is a significant waste of resources duplicating service. In my experience, mergers and consolidations do not save anyone money. But from an operational standpoint, it allows resources to be deployed in the community where they are most needed based upon risk analysis, not just because a fire company “wants” to be a truck company or rescue company. Over extended time periods, this will save money by reducing the number of apparatus in the field. But I do not believe, except in very rare cases that in Allegheny County there need to be closures of fire stations.

Overall, there is a general agreement that resources are being duplicated in Western Pennsylvania. Consensus occurred that consolidations could increase efficiency and public safety, but the ways firefighters believed that it would varied. Some believed that better training, better equipment, improved response times, and staffing would improve to provide better public safety. When asked about alternatives to consolidations, suggestions included paid departments, shutting down stations, more fundraising, and internal/external reviews of departments.

There are those that believe consolidation will become the only option for the volunteer fire service, which means a lot of changes could be coming for the volunteer fire service. The most important factor concerning consolidation is how it will affect the safety that departments will provide. Some of the firefighters who believed that consolidations are the only solution also believed that providing less safety would not be an issue and would not occur. However, several firefighters in support of consolidation recognized potential safety drawbacks. Slower response times and gaps in coverage were the main concerns. Rural company consolidations were also a concern for providing less safety. 

Many firefighters also recognized that much of the problem comes from within. When asked about what were the biggest obstacles towards consolidations, the majority of firefighters answered that it fell in the spectrum of tradition, pride, and attitude/understanding. 

Throughout the survey, the firefighters noted that the public, while not always having a clear and thorough understanding of what services are provided, they do expect quick and professional response whenever they need to call 911. It is very important to keep the public informed and educated on consolidation matters. While some citizens may not care, others will be very concerned as to how the level of service will change. Just as lines of communication need to remain open and clear within the consolidating companies, the public needs to be kept informed as well.

Often, it is debated who should be involved with consolidation discussions. Involvement of elected officials is often debated, but their input is necessary. As Commissioner Mann explains, Pennsylvania is a Commonwealth; therefore, public safety decisions are left to the local governments and citizens. In a situation that is already affected by power struggles, this can make it even tenser. The lack of cooperation between entities and groups does not provide the community with any more safety.

 Local governments and elected officials need to become involved with consolidation, despite volunteer fire departments feelings towards them. While some believed that they should care about it, the majority had negative thoughts towards the elected officials, believing that they were not concerned, or only concerned about the financial aspects and the choices that would get them reelected. If a fire company is going to enter in consolidation discussions, it is necessary to establish that the ultimate goal is how-to provide the best service for their response areas. Commissioner Mann recommends that local governments do get more involved and that it is necessary because Pennsylvania is a Commonwealth. Decisions concerning public safety are ultimately left to the local government and the citizens. He does not believe that the Commonwealth will ever enforce consolidations, but perhaps one day they will be able to put money into an incentive program. He states that in his experience, local government involvement usually means a more successful consolidation. Ultimately, Commissioner Mann thinks that the solution will come by working together:

At the end of the day, it is going to take a partnership between state [government], local [government], and the volunteer fire companies to level the problem off and fix with what we have. We have to do better with what we have. Look at the entire system-fire, EMS, and career. Take a system approach to it and make it better.

A countywide evaluation can be a valuable resource to volunteer fire companies in understanding what resources and services are needed where. Thomas Cook stated that, “A countywide deployment model needs to be created and then stations equipped and staffed as determined by the risk analysis used to develop the deployment model.” While such a study may be time consuming and costly, it can look at the operations of volunteer fire departments and establish what departments are producing and providing for the public. This study would look at quantitative data provided by the companies-it would be able to take out some of the cultural obstacles of consolidation. Equipment and apparatus would need to be inventoried. Incidents would be broken down by response times, average number of responders, and types of incidents responded to (fires, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous materials, etc.). Training certifications would also need to be inventoried to see where responders are getting educated. Financial information would be analyzed as well, such as fundraising, savings, and debt load to see if one department’s financial problems would hurt another department if they took it on.

Such a deployment model would not be a fix-all solution. It could potentially match up companies to consolidate with, but other factors will need to be considered as well.  There are guides in existence for how to consolidate fire departments that should be used as well. This is where some of the cultural aspects of a department can be analyzed and understood and where firefighters can voice their specific concerns. These guides are valuable to keeping the lines of communication open and readily available. Without clear communication, consolidations will be set up for failure. It also helps explain who should be involved in a consolidation and factors that should be considered. Ideas for a plan of action can be developed from these guidelines. One suggestion that is given is a SWOT analysis which involves identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, which can be a good way for fire departments to establish their levels of service. While they are “guides” and not definitive answers, it can be a good starting point for consolidation discussions.

Consolidations need to be considered by a case-by-case basis. However, surveying firefighters from different departments established that it is in the opinion of the majority that consolidations need to begin occurring for the survival of the volunteer fire service and for the best protection of the citizens. Individual discussions between two or three departments are slowly or not consolidating departments. More guidance is needed. Therefore, it is recommended that an evaluation occur of the volunteer fire service. In the instance of Western Pennsylvania, a countywide deployment model could be useful. Departments need to be evaluated on inventories, qualifications, locations, financial status, and incident responses to establish similarities in service so that gaps in service can be identified, along with duplication of services. From this, working alongside municipal governments, the amount of resources needed and expected (equipment, apparatus, and fire stations) can be deployed into each municipality to provide the optimal amount of safety. For some municipalities, it may not result in changes. It may be a significant amount of change for others. However, without evaluating the state of the volunteer fire service, improvements will occur at a slow pace. Volunteer fire departments need to become more readily involved and adaptable to change, and make sure that those who need to be consulted are. Consolidation affects much more than the companies consolidating. It is not a decision to be taken lightly, and needs to be thoroughly researched and understood.

Consolidations are occurring across the country in different realms of public safety. Some areas are seeing EMS and fire companies consolidate for medical response and rescue; others are consolidating paid, volunteer, or combination departments. There are many years of tradition that will be affected by consolidating departments. However, it is a new beginning. Both volunteer firefighters and elected officials should not consider what is popular or best for power or personal agendas, but what will provide the best safety for the residents and the people that they serve in both the short and long-term.

            Such an evaluation can allow companies to look at both the big and small picture.  Departments will be able to establish where the gaps in service are and what resources are needed. By taking a look at the entire situation, companies can analyze it to their specific needs. Without, change occurring, it can begin to risk not only their safety, but the safety of others as well.

            Volunteer fire departments should support the idea of an evaluation and deployment model. This can help departments start consolidating fire departments within and between municipalities. With the past case studies evaluated, they were all the result of analysis to try and complete a consolidation or some type of operational change which altered had a company provided its safety. Current guides from insurance should be used for consolidation discussions once it is established which departments will attempt to consolidate. Before departments reach that level of discussions, more quantitative data should be the focus of deciding what companies should consolidate so that the best service will be ultimately provided. While creating such a model and utilizing will not be an easy, quick, or cheap process, it may help departments establish where there are inefficiencies and make it easier when they do decide to consolidate.

Government entities need to provide aid to the fire service as well. Establish more concise models for the volunteer fire departments to follow. Local governments need to be involved, but work with the volunteer fire companies, not try to push a decision unto them. It is a cooperative effort. Classes are available on consolidations and how to decide whether or not it is the choice for a municipality. Elected officials need to take advantage of these classes and educational guides. Firefighters need to allow “outsiders” (elected officials, citizens, etc.) to participate in their consolidation discussions so that other perspectives can allow for different ideas to be considered.

Solutions do exist to this problem. As it is a sensitive topic, it appears that it will be left to the volunteer fire companies to make change. By working with other entities, resources can be altered to be used more efficiently and provide better services. If volunteer fire departments were to work together, changes may be able to come about more quickly, while also being more thoroughly researched. Departments need to show that they are willing to work together to solve this problem, that will emphasize to other entities the severity of the problem. More research needs to occur, at municipal and county levels, and potential consolidations need to be analyzed. The state of the volunteer fire service needs to be reevaluated so that departments can make decisions to be able to provide the best level of safety.  Ultimately, it needs to be understood that all changes should be made in the best interests of public safety.