A possible shift in governance of Miami County Fire Districts No. 1 and No. 2 sparked a lively debate for 40 minutes Wednesday, Dec. 19, in the County Commission chambers.
County commissioners scheduled a public hearing to gather comments about a possible shift in governance from the fire districts’ current boards to the County Commission.
Paola Fire Chief Andy Martin said he thought it would be a mistake to eliminate the First District No. 1 board.
“They’ve come a long way and done a lot of long-range planning … and generally improving fire service,” Martin said.
Martin said the board may have “ruffled some feathers” for its decision to acquire 800 MHz radios for the Paola and Fontana fire departments without upgrading other departments.
“I think they were looking at the future and wanting to make sure firefighters were safe, and you can’t fault them for that,” Martin said. “They are a solid organization now, they are well led, and I think it reflects well what we’ve got done in the last year or so.”
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)