Joint Fire District Feasibility Study

The City of Buchanan, Buchanan Charter Township, Bertrand Charter Township, Niles Charter Township, and the City of Niles are requesting proposals from qualified public safety, fire service, municipal management, or emergency services consulting firms to conduct a joint fire service feasibility and operational study. The purpose of the study is to determine whether it is operationally, financially, legally, and administratively feasible for the five jurisdictions to create one joint fire district or, if supported by the analysis, two fire districts serving the combined area.

The study should not begin with the assumption that a single model is the preferred outcome. Rather, the consultant will be expected to evaluate the current fire service system, compare existing station locations, staffing, equipment, apparatus, service areas, response patterns, costs, governance, and capital needs against accepted fire service best practices, and then recommend the model or models that make the most sense for the communities involved.

The final product should provide the participating jurisdictions with the information needed to make an informed policy decision on whether to pursue a joint fire district, two coordinated fire districts, another shared-service model, or maintain the current structure with recommended improvements.