ELMIRA – Representatives from the MMA Consulting Group, Inc. presented the recommendations of the County-Wide Fire Services Study to over 100 City, Town, and Village officials as well as fire personnel from local fire districts on February 24, 1010.  Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli and County Fire and Emergency Services Director Mike Smith were also present to discuss the recommendations of the report.

The study was conducted using funds provided by the New York State Department of Municipal Services Incentive Grant Program (SMSI). Chemung County received the SMSI grant in the amount of $173,880 to engage professional consultant services for a study to provide comprehensive information about existing firefighting levels of service, costs, and needs as well as recommendations for future improvements to be achieved through inter-municipal service sharing agreements. The purpose of the study is to foster discussion among the fire departments and develop methods of functional or operational integration. The goal being to provide the most effective and efficient fire and rescue system within the County as well as promoting the utmost in safety for all volunteer and career firefighters.

Consultants from MMA Consulting spent over 12 months gathering information from all the fire companies in the County in the  preparation of the  report.  The 130-page report provides 66 recommendations which will now be examined by the 21 member County Fire Advisory Board to determine those they would like to implement. The recommendations are designed to improve operations and encourage cooperative service delivery.

“This is not all about saving money,” said Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli who commissioned the study. “This is about providing the highest quality fire and rescue services to the residents of Chemung County.  If we can accomplish this and also save taxpayer dollars that will be a win-win for all residents of the County.” Santulli has engaged the County in many shared services opportunities with local municipalities to maximize the efficiency of service delivery systems within the county.

“As I said when we began examining the provision of highway services throughout the County, residents do not care what color the truck is that plows their road, similarly residents are not concerned with what fire company is the first on the scene in the event of an emergency. They only care that they are there, protecting their lives and property as quickly as possible, with appropriately trained personnel,” added Santulli.

Click here to view the complete report.