Unified Fire County Services Plan Presented To Escambia Commission

April 11, 2008

The first draft of the Escambia County Fire Services Unification Plan was presented to the Escambia County Commission Committee of the Whole Thursday.

On March 20, the commission voted to consolidate all fire departments outside the City of Pensacola into one unified county fire department. That vote required Escambia County Fire Chief Ken Perkins and Escambia County Volunteer Firefighters Association President Robbie Whitfield to present this plan to the commission by April 10.

The plan outlines 23 items that must be addressed prior to the planned implementation of the unified department on October 1. Those items include such things as the organization of the department, department goals, policies and procedures, job descriptions, career and volunteer annual evaluations, standardized training and record keeping, and a fire station staffing plan for both high and low volume stations.

“In approaching the unification process, 3 to 5 issues will be addressed each month, and final decisions will be documented through countywide guidelines, rules, policies, procedures, and/or directives. Routine weekly meetings will ensure that progress is maintained and issues are addressed quickly as possible,” the written plan states.

“It went really well; it’s coming together,” District 5 Commissioner Kevin White told NorthEscambia.com. “I’m very encouraged. I think we are on the right track.”

Perkins and Whitfield will return to the commission in about a month to update progress on the plan.

To read the complete plan as obtained by NorthEscambia.com, click here:

Escambia County Fire Services Unification Plan (pdf)

Pictured above: A McDavid Volunteer Fire Department truck on scene at a recent accident in Walnut Hill.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News