The Hall County Board of Commissioners Thursday evening voted in favor of consultation services for the county’s fire and emergency services department.
The company chosen for the services, Emergency Services Consulting International, specializes in professional consulting to public safety organizations throughout the United States and Canada, according to their proposal. The services approved by commissioners Thursday have a total cost of $90,000.
The purpose of the consultation is to assist in providing a “clear understanding and appreciation” of the multiple levels of local government across the region while also taking an in-depth look at contemporary issues facing the emergency department.
“This is something that we've been wanting to do for several years, and we have actually requested in some previous budgets … so this has been on our radar for quite a while,” Interim Fire Chief Jerry Smith said. “And what we're wanting to do is have an unbiased review of our department's operation from A to Z. All organizations should be reviewed periodically just to review our operation and ensure that we're providing the most productive and efficient service to the citizens of Hall County.”
ESCI plans to guide the progress of the Hall County Fire and EMS department through implemented goals and objectives, fed via input from the fire department workforce, according to the strategic plan.
The services provided by ESCI will help department officials assess the next three to five years using data from the consultation.
Some of the areas that will be considered in the consultation include future fire station locations, different response vehicles needed and if the department has appropriate levels of manpower in the right areas, which will all feed into how future budgets are compiled.
It is currently unknown the exact amount of time the consultation will take, but Smith is hoping to have it completed “in the next few months,” he said Friday.
“We're definitely not going to hurry it,” Smith said. “We're going to make sure that we get a thorough review, and that way, we really use this consulting firm to the best of their ability and we get the best product we can from them.”
The process of acquiring the consultation services began earlier this spring, according to County Administrator Zach Propes.
