By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
Stemming from a recommendation from the county’s Emergency Services Workgroup, the Orange County Board of Commissioners approved hiring a consultant to study the county’s EMS system and E911 Communications Center at a meeting last week.
The consultant group, Solutions 4 Local Government, will develop two studies and a multi-year strategic plan to make improvements to the county’s EMS and E911 Communications Center.
Previously, the board had postponed a decision to enter into a contract with Solutions 4 Local Government, instead opting to create an emergency-services workgroup at the request of local fire chiefs.
The workgroup, comprised of 12 members including fire and police chiefs, two commissioners and two citizens, was charged with examining many facets of the county’s emergency services.
Through looking at data collected by staff on different aspects of EMS, including response times, the workgroup made recommendations for system improvements to technology, equipment, staffing and training.
After meeting for a little more than two months, the workgroup came back to the board with a recommendation to enter into the previously postponed contract.
While the recommendation came from a group made up of multiple stakeholders, Bill Waddell, president of the Orange Grove Volunteer Fire Company, told commissioners he believed entering into the contract was “premature.â€
“The goal of the workgroup was to rebuild the working relationships between the county and it’s partners,†Waddell said. “By retaining a consultant, we revert back to an unacceptable status quo and continue to operate in an environment of distrust and suspicion.â€
Waddell noted continuing problems with the data provided in a proposal from the consultant group, which he and other fire chiefs had discussed at previous commissioner meetings, and urged commissioners to “wait three to 12 months before obtaining a consultant.â€
However, the commissioners said they felt that since the recommendation came from the workgroup, they believed they should honor it.
“I respect Mr. Waddell’s comments,†Commissioner Barry Jacobs said, but “letting the workgroup do their work includes letting the workgroup recommend that we hire a consultant.â€
Although the commissioners did decide to hire the consultant, both Assistant County Manager Michael Talbert and the board stipulated the consultant should meet with all stakeholders involved in EMS, including the workgroup, about once a month.
“It is very important that the consultant meet with stakeholders prior to starting the study,†Talbert said.
The contract has already begun and the consultant will return before the commissioners at the end of August to present the study.
In approving the plan 6-0, the commissioners agreed that the two studies should not cost the county more than $28,000. Funds for the contract will come from the Emergency Telephone System Fund, which Talbert said has an adequate fund balance to cover the cost.
The budget amendment to fund the consultant contract will come back before the board to approve at their April 17 meeting.
In other action last week, the board voted 6-1 to move forward in negotiations with Durham for a cost-sharing plan for the regional light-rail system.
The commissioners also approved a tentative cost-sharing option that proposes $316.2 million paid by Orange County and $1.06 billion by Durham County. Fifty percent of each county’s costs would be paid by the federal government and 25 percent would be paid by the state.
Commissioner Earl McKee cast the lone dissenting vote.