by Eileen Ringnalda and Kimberly Stratton
Extension to Communities
Iowa State University
No fire department has the personnel or equipment to fight every fire or handle every disaster.
"This is true for all departments, regardless of size," said George Oster, Iowa State University Extension Fire Service Institute executive officer.
Service sharing is necessary for all fire departments, but volunteer departments in Iowa communities may need to explore further options for service sharing. Increased standards dictating the way calls are handled are putting more pressure on rural community fire departments. In addition, Iowa's aging population, changing economy and increasing population in small towns are contributing to the need for service sharing, Oster said.
The Fire Service Institute, a branch of Iowa State Extension to Communities, is working with fire departments around the state to discover service sharing opportunities.
"The institute does not advocate dissolving fire departments," Oster said. "Service sharing is a way to maintain departments."
Oster explained that service sharing is designed to make better use of a department's own resources and the resources of neighboring departments. The goal is to spread out costs so that communities can keep their departments.
Polk County fire departments have teamed up to utilize service sharing opportunities with the help of community research consultant Mary Swalla Holmes. Holmes sees service sharing as a way for departments in Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Camp Township, Mitchellville and Bondurant to better serve their communities. Her role is to help identify the individual strengths of each department, and then suggest how the departments can use the other departments' strengths to their advantage.
The most common form of service sharing already in existence is mutual aid. This is a county-wide agreement between all fire departments to assist other fire departments in emergency situations. Holmes said understanding the capabilities of other departments in the area will make mutual aid more effective.
Mutual aid can be more effective by creating uniformity between area fire departments. Holmes said using the same protocols at fire scenes and having equipment set up the same way are two examples of uniformity.
"The suggestion of uniformity is not meant to create one department or take away individuality. It is simply an effort to increase cooperation, communication and familiarity on mutual aid calls," Holmes said.
She said uniformity has been a real asset to volunteer emergency medical services in Bondurant and Mitchellville. Their ambulances are set up the same way, which makes it very easy for paramedics from each town to assist the other. "The paramedics already know where things are, and don't have to ask where things are kept," Holmes said.
Another method of service sharing is to conduct joint training sessions. If several departments train together, the cost can be relatively inexpensive for each department, said Glenn Pribbenow, field systems manager for the Fire Service Institute. Joint training also helps the fire fighters to become familiar with other departments in their area.
Firefighters in Page County have used joint-training to become acquainted with all the fire departments in the county. Each of the five sections of training was held at a different fire station so that fire fighters are aware of each department's equipment and personnel.
Pribbenow said the Fire Service Institute is interested in making service sharing effective and that any of the courses offered by the institute through ISU Extension to Communities could work well for joint training efforts.
Service sharing may also include jointly purchasing public and professional legal liability insurance for area departments and buying equipment together in bulk. Each of these saves money for the individual departments while meeting their needs for insurance coverage and supplies.
Although resources may be spread over a wider geographic area, Oster said service sharing provides access to equipment and resources that many fire departments wouldn't have otherwise.
"Service sharing ensures a response and maximizes the benefit from the money volunteer fire departments spend," Oster said.
Contacts:
Terry L. Besser, ISU Extension Sociology, (515) 294-6508
Del Marks, ISU Extension Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807
