Even before deciding to retire as the Greenfield Fire Department chief, and before Governor Scott Walker's budget proposal tightened the strings of local municipalities even further, Russ Spahn was a strong proponent of consolidating services.
Now, he believes its probably unavoidable.
"There’s no reason why we don’t consolidate and make things better," Spahn said Monday afternoon while discussing his retirement with Greenfield Patch.
Spahn said the department already works so well and so closely with other departments within Zone D (Franklin, Greendale and Hales Corners) that the departments cannot do "any more without breaching contracts. The next step is true consolidation."
"We each have a big ladder," Spahn added. "Do we each need a big ladder? Not necessarily. Do we each need backup equipment at each station of each department? Not necessarily. Could we overlap in personnel and equipment? Absolutely. It’s a waste of the taxpayers' dollars not to (consolidate).
"It has to be done correctly and wisely, but chiefs before me and me included have offered up proposals and options of various levels of consolidation. But it’s the politicians that make the final decisions and it hasn’t come to be. However, now I think those conversations will be more serious because of what the governor is doing and where the economy is. People are going to demand it."
Consolidation, even if done properly, as Spahn said, is not a cure-all to the budget woes fire departments are facing, according to the retiring chief. Consolidation or not, the Milwaukee County fire service landscape will look completely different five years from now compared to how it does now, and not necessarily for the better, he said.
"Based on the laws and the changes the governor is making as a result of the economics and as a result of the taxpayer taking a stronger interest than ever with what their government is doing for them, you’re going to see some major changes as it relates to consolidation, huge downsizing, loss of services," Spahn said. "Services will suffer."
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