"What impact does/will the commercial / industrial growth have on the towns emergency services?"
As the commercial/industrial zones develop from what was and moves into the 21st. century, the requirements placed on our emergency services will be compounded.
The Orange Volunteer Fire Department is one of the most well trained and equipped Volunteer Fire Departments in the area. The problem is they are a group of volunteers that must work other jobs as their primary occupations.
The buildings continue to be more expansive, the construction more involved and the exposure to hazardous toxins more prevalent. As the median household income of our town rises, it becomes more difficult to encourage volunteers to a possibly life threatening organization.
The department now welcomes members from surrounding communities. As the demands from commercial/industrial businesses and the vehicle traffic required for their operation increase, so do emergency service demands.
The fire service could see the need for a small paid crew as demands increase. This could mean between 24 to 30 firefighters plus equipment needed to operate a 24/7 service. The Fire Marshall's office has estimated this cost to taxpayers between $ 1.5 to $ 2.5 millon per year.
The Orange Fire Marshall's Office is also affected by increased development. This department must review all building plans for remodeled and new construction. Regular and in-depth inspections of these businesses with just 2.5 staff is required and the paper work that must be filed.
The Fire Marshall's office is operating on 2.5 Marshalls and a part time secretary. This could expand to 3 full time Marshall's and a full time secretary. The department would require more vehicles and equipment to operate properly, thus making additional funding necessary. This is added to the duties of the Fire Marshall, who is the Orange Homeland Security Representative.
The Orange Police Department will also have to deal with a greater number of responses as our commercial/industrial base increases. The Police Department is operating with 40 officers, trained and equipped and rated one of the best in the region. The desire of the Police Commission is to expand the department to 46 officers which would have significant impact on the town budget.
The Town Sanitation Department has not been considered. This office must inspect all required facilities, including food services. This department has already contracted an inspector to help keep up in this area. This department has 2 full time sanitarians, a part time sanitarian and a part time secretary. They could find it necessary to expand to 3 sanitarians and a full time secretary. The sanitarian has reported that one new grocery store, waiting to come to town, will require at least 16 inspections a year.
My opponent continues to tout how much money his type of development is going to bring to the town coffers. My opponent does not recognize the expense side of his development plan.
>1. A paid Fire Department
>2. An increase of 6 to 8 police officers
>3. An increase of 1 to 2 employees in the Fire Marshall's Office
>4. An increase of 1 to 2 full time employees in the Sanitarians Office.
My opponent has not learned that all that glitters is not gold.
ŠThe Orange Bulletin 2005