Two weeks ago the Elbridge village board passed a resolution ending the village’s contract with the Elbridge Volunteer Fire Department, and paving the way for consolidation of the Elbridge and Jordan volunteer fire departments. But after a meeting between the board and Elbridge firefighters last night at village hall, consolidation will have to wait. “The hard part about any consolidation is somebody has to be dissolved. It’s the nature of the word,” Doerr said before the meeting. The Elbridge village board voted unanimously to lift a state of emergency, to cancel last week’s resolution to abolish the fire department and to cancel a referendum allowing residents to vote on whether to abolish the fire department. The board also waived any future public hearings on the issue. Elbridge Mayor Hank Doerr was pleased with the civil nature of the meeting, attended by about 50 people, where the Elbridge VFD was successful in convincing the board it should remain an active fire company. About 22 of the department’s 44 registered volunteers attended. “Cooler heads prevailed and sanity took over last night,” Doerr said.
The board’s decision to lift the state of emergency was influenced by an unexpected boost in response by firefighters following the board’s Feb. 21 vote. On Feb. 23, 15 Elbridge firefighters responded to a call at around 5 p.m. after a tractor trail had backed into a building off Route 5. Doeer said he couldn’t remember the last time that many volunteers responded at 5 p.m., a time when many are preoccupied getting home from work. The fire department also gave the board reason to think the improvement would not be temporary. Since Feb. 21, six firefighters have become up-to-date on their physicals and the fire department agreed to accept the village board’s workplace violence policy. The department also plans to increase recruiting and update its bylaws. Elbridge Fire Chief Tim Ganey resigned last Thursday, though he remains a member of the department. Elbridge Fire President Bob Chuff is serving as interim chief until the department’s elections in April. Doerr said part of the problem before, that led to the state of emergency, was poor communication between the board and the fire department. “We could be talking to a toaster and it would’ve gotten back to the department as fast as it was,” Doeer said. After last night, village officials expect that to change. The board and the department agreed to have at least five Elbridge VFD representatives attend the board’s monthly meetings instead of just one. The board will also require the department to submit more specific monthly reports that include time of incident, how many responded and what time the fire engine rolled. “We’ll be on top of that much more than we were in the past, and they want that as well,” Doerr said. The board specifically asked the volunteers who came to them a few weeks back with safety concerns if they’d seen an improvement in the department. They said that they had seen a major change. “I did not know things would move in the direction they moved so quickly,” Doerr said. “It was shocking to them as well.” Consolidation still an option
Doerr said consolidation is not off the table for good.
“It’s not out of the picture,” he said. “It is coming and they have to be prepared for it.” The village board did a consolidation study two years ago that found various fiscal advantages in pooling the two department’s resources. Doerr said it was also clear that there were times when more Elbridge firefighters were be available for certain fires than Jordan firefighters, and vice versa. “Plus it gives you the chance of both buildings responding to a particular need, depending on what the need is,” he said. Doerr said a strengthened Elbridge VFD will allow for an easier, more affective consolidation of the town’s fire departments.