Thrusday, January 07, 1999
Fire and life squad kept busy
But Green Township sees no need for new levy
BY LEW MOORES
The Cincinnati Enquirer
GREEN TOWNSHIP — Both fire and emergency medical runs have risen about 49 percent this decade. The increasing use of carbon monoxide detectors and an aging population, as well as growth in the community, account for the increase.
Township officials say there is no immediate need to re-evaluate levies that fund fire protection in the township, but the board of trustees will consider billing non-residents' insurance companies for emergency medical services.
“We have made a commitment, which we believe we'll have no problem following, that there be no new (fire protection) tax levies in Green Township until the next millennium,” said Trustee Bill Seitz. “We anticipate no new levies in 1999. The last emergency levy was passed in 1994.”
Mr. Seitz said a proposal to bill non-residents for emergency services, such as an ambulance run for an auto accident, could come up as early as the next trustees' meeting on Jan. 11.
“The fire department has sort of recommended it,” said Mr. Seitz. “They were getting information as to what jurisdictions do what.”
He said the proposal could generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for the town ship, and help defray the cost of new fire equipment.
Michael Nie, a spokesman for the fire department, said the average number of daily runs has increased from 8.8 per day in 1990 to 13.2 per day in 1998.
There were 1,676 fire runs and 3,109 calls for emergency services from the township's four fire stations in 1998. That was up 7.7 percent over 1997.
In 1990, there were 994 fire runs and 2,219 calls for emergency services.
Mr. Nie said fire officials attribute the increase to the more prevalent use of carbon monoxide detectors in the home — especially since 1995 — and the general aging of the population, which leads to more calls for such services as ambulance runs.
“Carbon monoxide detectors are a wonderful device and have saved many lives,” said Mr. Nie. “But they are also responsible for a large
increase in our runs.”
He said the instances when the monitors actually detect a life-threatening hazard are “actually pretty small,” and much of the time the small level of carbon monoxide present in the home is traced to an automobile warming up or idling close to the house.
But the increase also has to do with a growing population, both he and Mr. Seitz point out. The township's population, estimated at about 57,000 now, could grow to 60,000 by the 2000 Census, they said.
A growing population will mean the fire department will continue to plan for the growth, say township officials, in terms of purchasing new equipment, staffing levels and where to locate any new fire houses.
“We will continue to evaluate the number of runs we're making, and the types of runs we're making,” said Mr. Nie. “It all goes into strategic planning. We just continue to get busier.”
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