Combining resources is nothing new for the Truro Township Fire Department, which joined forces with five other departments as part of the Metropolitan Emergency Communication Center (MECC) to share dispatching costs and access emerging technology.
The agreement, according to the MECC, allows several departments to pool their resources in order to provide emergency dispatching services for their respective communities and meet and exceed federal standards where costs would be individually prohibitive.
Truro Township is taking another step towards the same goal by working with neighboring jurisdictions in hiring a medical director to oversee the combined medical operations of participating departments. In addition, Truro Fire Chief Jerry Foltz discussed a proposal with Truro Township trustees during a July 8 meeting to study joint fleet maintenance.
"They’re investigating the feasibility of consolidating a maintenance facility for local townships," stated Foltz, who said the study would be funded by a local government services and regional collaborative grant program administered by the Ohio Department of Development.
According to the Department of Development, individual grant awards are used solely for the cost of conducting a feasibility study addressing collaborations of local government services. The study must include savings cost estimates, specific implementation recommendations, and challenges/impediments to collaboration or joint provision of services.
"Mifflin and Gahanna already have an agreement," said Foltz. "We all use a lot of the same vehicles and equipment and instead of having pieces and parts sitting around every where, we could combine maintenance at one or two central locations. However, combining fleet maintenance is a little touchier than combining departments for a medical director."
Successful grant applicants are required to submit a completed feasibility report to the Department of Development by Sept. 30, 2009. Trustee Dennis Nicodemus asked Foltz to keep the trustees apprised of the progress of the study, which is at no cost to the township, throughout the year-long process.
Other Truro news
•Road Superintendent Stan Knoderer said a storm sewer on the southwest corner of Fleet Road and Parkline West-which drains slowly-was placed on a job order for vacuuming services by Franklin County Engineers.
"It drains very slowly," commented Knoderer. "A bowling ball was pulled from the drain a few years ago, so I don’t know what’s down there. All of the storm sewers in Qualstan were inspected last week. While all of them are functional, a couple require monitoring."
•Knoderer also asked the trustees to consider raising the per-square-inch rate charged for monument foundations. He said the rates have not been raised since the 1980s and are 35 cents per inch. However, a company working for the township charges 60 cents per square inch and Knoderer recommended the township charge 70 cents to help offset the cost.
"One goal is to begin the righting of the many monuments in Silent Home that are leaning," Knoderer said in his monthly report. "The Pine Box Agency (who is the monument foundation contractor) has the equipment to handle many of the large monuments, and they are fair in their pricing."
