Every organization strives for efficiency and effectiveness. But in the fire response and emergency medical fields, those goals take on a critical nature.
With fewer people signing up to participate as volunteer firefighters, and with increased scrutiny of costs, two valley agencies are pursuing new approaches.
"At this point, Wood River and Ketchum have had some very preliminary discussions about a functional consolidation," said Ketchum Fire Chief Mike Elle.
Closer alignment of the departments could provide a wider range of services and coverage throughout the valley, he said.
"We're seeing better coverage and less costs nationwide by working together," Elle said. "In this case it may be better for both (agencies)."
Bart Lassman, chief of Wood River Fire & Rescue, said preliminary discussions are going well.
"We've been talking about some joint programming concepts like sharing standard-operating guidelines and extending automatic-aid boundaries," he said. "Basically, just breaking down the boundaries and trying to operate more as one department."
Automatic aid means personnel and equipment are automatically dispatched from each agency involved in the agreement.
In a mutual-aid agreement, the incident commander has to call for specific personnel and equipment if deemed necessary.
Such an alliance would not preclude either from making agreements with other agencies as well.
"Departments can enter into any kind of agreement to make departments run smoother and more efficiently," Lassman said.
Ketchum Rural Fire Protection District and the Ketchum Fire Department consolidated through a cooperative agreement. South-county agencies are reviewing recommendations identified in a recent study funded by Wood River Fire & Rescue and the city of Hailey. That study also noted possible benefits of a closer working relationship between Wood River and Ketchum.
"It opened our eyes a little bit," said Jay Bailet, chairman of the board of commissioners for Wood River Fire & Rescue. "Ketchum trains to the same standards that we do and they provide the same services that we do. So, it just seemed like a hand-and-glove fit to try to work this out to try to operate a little more closely."
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He said one of the biggest challenges in the district is getting enough people to respond to an emergency. An auto-aid agreement with parallel training can help ensure adequate response.
"This just gives us the capability of having a bigger pool of people to provide a response," he said.
Similarities between Ketchum and Wood River already exist. Both are paramedic-level medical response and ambulance transport agencies, and their staffing and training levels are about the same, Elle said. Both have full-time personnel and a large corps of volunteers.
"We already have common operational guidelines," he said. "It makes sense we look at how we're organized and structured."
Elle said some type of consolidation has been discussed for years.
"We want to do what's right for the citizens and there's no reason not to enter into preliminary talks," Elle said.
The agencies also have been looking at governance plans and what the departments' structure might look like in 10 years. Lassman said that eventually could result in some redundant positions, including his.
"We're not concerned about it," he said. "I'm more than happy to stand aside for Mike and or work in another position."
Functional consolidation has the backing of both the commissioners for the fire protection district and Ketchum Mayor Randy Hall.
"We're just all about providing the best fire service that we can," Bailet said. But, "at this point, we're just trying to enhance our working relationship with Ketchum."
The incremental approach helps the agencies and political officials evaluate changes as they are implemented without committing to a full merger.
"We're not looking at an actual agreement being signed in the near future," Lassman said. "We want to work under these concepts for a while."
Elle said the process will take time.
"It's certainly not going to be a quick process," he said. "A full consolidation is years upon years away."
He's optimistic about those chances, though.
"I predict that it will happen," he said.
Rebecca Meany: rmeany@mtexpress.com
Members of Wood River Fire & Rescue Rune Haavik, left, Brian Tuohy, middle, and Bart Lassman take a short break Monday outside the agency’s Hailey fire station. The agency is discussing ways to enhance its working relationship with the Ketchum Fire Department. Photo by David N. Seelig
