These bills reminded us of a 2006 study where fellows
at the Coro
Center for Civic Leadership researched whether there is excess capacity of fire
service within the City of Pittsburgh that can fulfill a need for service in
suburban municipalities. In
conducting this work, the Coro Fellows
referenced previous studies on this topic that found that there is an
excess of
engine and truck stations in Pittsburgh, as well as staffing. For
example, the 1996 Competitive Pittsburgh Task Force Study indicated
that Pittsburgh had a staffing complement of 894 firefighters, 66%
higher than the survey of comparable cities with an average of 538. A CMU study found that although Pittsburgh only
needs 12 engine stations and 4 truck stations to meet National Fire Protection
Agency (NFPA) Standards 90% of the time (the required amount), the City had 33
engine stations and 11 truck stations in 2004, creating much double and triple coverage.
To
obtain the most up-to-date information on staffing and the number of fire
stations, we consulted Denice Haas, an Assistant to the Pittsburgh Public
Safety Director. Denice explained that Pittsburgh has reduced the members of staff and stations
According to the Coro Fellow's report, the State Fire Commissioner's office should also conduct a study of the City's fire department, but should perform a needs/capacity assessment and inventory among all fire departments in the suburbs of Pittsburgh to eliminate duplication of services among Pittsburgh suburbs. From September 5th through October 3rd of 2006, Tonya Bennitt and Kate Peilemeier interviewed fire chiefs, service officials, and other municipal officials, and conducted research through the Office of the State Fire Commissioner, the Allegheny County Emergency Management team, and the internet. Their purpose was to assess whether or not there should be more intergovernmental cooperation in fire service for the greater Pittsburgh region.
Fire departments are typically staffed by volunteers in the region with some paid departments, the largest of which serves the city of Pittsburgh. Although the region's population has been in decline for over thirty years, the fire protection structure has
not changed, resulting in staff shortages and
fundraising difficulties for many volunteer departments, and continued strain
on the budgets of municipalities with paid departments. Some municipalities
have mutual aid agreements, but there is usually little cross-over assistance
between paid and volunteer departments. Bennitt and Peilemeier researched the
possibility of intergovernmental cooperation between the city’s paid fire
department and thirty-four surrounding municipalities, where there is one paid
department, four combined, and the rest volunteer.
Bennitt
and Peilemeier recommended that a needs/capacity assessment and inventory among
all fire departments in the suburbs of Pittsburgh be conducted to
In
anticipation of the TriData study, which according to an article in the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is expected
to help implement changes for netting savings of $193,000, two questions come
to mind:
- Will the report indicate that there is an excess of fire service in the city and if more intergovernmental cooperation can help address the shortage in fire
service in the suburbs?
- If excess city capacity exists, how will this modify proposals such as Senate Bill 1169 which seeks to solve a volunteer staffing need by incentivizing municipal
volunteer emergency responder service?
Fire
fighting is inherently a discussion about intergovernmental cooperation. Indeed, fire fighters have the longest
tradition of intergovernmental cooperation than any public service—mutual aid
in answering the emergency call is both a tradition and a necessity. Intergovernmental cooperation, combined with
encouraging volunteerism provides a route to assuring effective, efficient fire
protection now and in the future.
To
read more on fire service and intergovernmental cooperation in Pennsylvania,
read the April
03, 2008 Lyceum entry entitled “York Area United Fire and Rescue:
Intergovernmental Cooperation and Fire Services” by Dean Fernsler, former
Local Government Policy Manager of the DCED Governor’s Center for Local
Government Services.
Update:
TriData's report on their study of Pittsburgh' Fire Bureau commissioned by the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA) oversight group in 2006 was released in June 2008.
Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website to read an article on the findings.

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