Two medics and an SUV, a cheaper alternative to fire stations

Turn two fire stations into limited-response units -- with two medics and an SUV -- and save $1 million, says Councilman Jon Camp.

About 80 percent of all firefighter calls are for medical emergencies, not fires, he notes.

So the medics and equipment would be a first response, quickly followed by a fire truck and ambulance from a fully staffed station.

Two men and an SUV would save about $500,000 a year in personnel costs for each station, Camp has said.

I asked Public Safety Director Tom Casady for his reaction to the two men and an SUV idea.

"Councilman Camp's proposal is not entirely out in left field, but it certainly would be a reduction in our capabilities and the level of service," Casady said in an email.

"It is a alternative to consider if we cannot afford the current level of service."

Camp's proposal would reduce staffing needs, but would create some problems, Casady said.

"There is a limit to what two people and an SUV can safely do. They can determine that there is no fire, and that the alarm is false. They can deploy a fire extinguisher on a burning trash can. They can use a pry bar on a sprung passenger-side door. They can stabilize a potentially broken ankle at a softball field.

"But there are many things they cannot do, most importantly, grab a hose from a fire engine and prepare to fight a structure fire. That would have to await the arrival of more personnel and the apparatus itself: a pumper.

"In reality, many incidents could be adequately dealt with by two people and an SUV (especially false alarms), and they could be a good first response to a medical emergency while the ambulance crew is en route.

"But you often do not know from the initial information precisely what you will encounter at the scene, and you operate on the belief that the fire alarm could be real, the back pain could actually be a symptom of a heart attack, and that extricating the passenger from the car could require hydraulic tools."

The two men and an SUV plan would mean that more Lincoln homes could not be reached by a fire truck within the 6-minute, 20-second goal.

"Two people with extinguishers, hand tools, first aid supplies, and a defibrillator is better than nothing at all, but it is clearly a reduced service level," Casady said.

Eat those words

During a city budget hearing, Coby Mach quoted specific no tax increase messages made by three City Council members in past election campaigns.

And he encouraged the three -- Carl Eskridge, Jayne Snyder and Gene Carroll -- to stay true to that message.

Mach, who said he was representing himself and not speaking in his role as executive director of the Lincoln Independent Business Association, also suggested the council use a one-time $1.7 million Verizon payment to reduce the dependence on property taxes this year.

But Carroll pointed out that last year, Mach stood before the council and urged it not to use one-time money to solve budget problems.

"You have changed your view on one-time dollars?" asked Carroll.

"Yes," said Mack.

More commissioners in our future

Lancaster County will likely add two members to its five-member Board of Commissioners after the 2020 census.

Counties with populations of more than 300,000 must have seven county commissioners, according to state law.

Lancaster County has more than 285,000 residents, based on the 2010 census.

Wheel tax, three months early

The proposed increase in the city's wheel tax will take effect this fall, not in January.

Traditionally, wheel tax hikes have started Jan. 1, but this series of increases ($10 this year for a car and $5 each of the next two years) will likely begin Oct. 1.

The ordinance provides for a Sept. 1 starting date. But city staff say that's probably not possible and the time will be amended to Oct. 1, if the council decides to approve the tax hike.

From the city's point of view, that three months of additional revenue brings in about $173,000 more to the city's street construction and repair program for next fiscal year, which begins Sept. 1.