Thursday, July 19, 2012
Public Policy Forum President Rob Henken spoke to the Oak Creek Common Council on Tuesday about his organization's report regarding fire department consolidation in southern Milwaukee County.
Southern Milwaukee County communities leery about combining fire departments could still benefit from smaller changes that would increase efficiencies and save money. That was one message Public Policy Forum President Rob Henken conveyed when he spoke Tuesday to the Oak Creek Common Council. It was an in-depth look at the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization's report that studied consolidation within the Oak Creek, Franklin, Hales Corners, Greendale and Greenfield fire departments. Henken noted the communities already practice a lot of mutual aid, not only in responding to incidents but in training, communications and some purchasing. But there could be more. The Public Policy Forum found the vehicle fleet between the five departments, in …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Oak Creek Common Council tonight will hear from the president of the Public Policy Forum about fire department consolidation.
The president of the Public Policy Forum will speak to the Oak Creek Common Council tonight about his organization's study on consolidating southern Milwaukee County fire departments. Rob Henken is scheduled to give a presentation and take questions at 6 p.m. in the council chambers, 8640 S. Howell Ave. It figures to be the most in-depth discussion to date on the Public Policy Forum's report that recommends phasing in a consolidation of the Oak Creek, Franklin, Hales Corners, Greendale and Greenfield fire departments. The study came after about a year of research, involving fire chiefs and administrators from all five communities who explored the range of consolidation possibilities. Local officials last year said they wanted to study …
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Greendale official says village is open to some fire-services sharing, but is less enthusiastic about a full consolidation of five area departments.
Full fire department consolidation between five southern Milwaukee County communities will not happen if Greendale has something to say about it. Discussions on fire department consolidation have continued since a report about the cost-benefits of consolidation was released in late May. The Public Policy Forum report identifies ways in which fire departments in Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners, Oak Creek and Franklin could consolidate and save money — including combining all five into one. But Greendale Village Manager Todd Michaels told Patch officials aren't too keen about a merger. "All I could say right now is that we are still reviewing the study," he said. "We are very open to some of the concepts in there and more hesitant in …
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The Public Policy Forum spent about a year researching how fire departments in Oak Creek, Franklin, Hales Corners, Greendale and Greenfield could consolidate and save money.
Oak Creek is diving into the Public Policy Forum's report on fire department consolidation and will hold a public meeting to hear what residents have to say. The Oak Creek Common Council on Tuesday referred the report to the Finance and Personnel committees and the Police and Fire Commission. The city will hold a meeting at a later date to give residents a chance to weigh in, and Public Policy Forum President Rob Henken will speak to the council within the next month, Mayor Steve Scaffidi said. The Public Policy Forum spent about a year talking to fire chiefs and administrators in Oak Creek, Franklin, Greendale, Greenfield and Hales Corners to study how the fire departments could consolidate and save money. The study laid out three models …
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Public Policy Forum says combining the fire departments of Hales Corners, Franklin, Oak Creek, Greenfield and Greendale would save a lot of money, but also present a lot of questions.
A report released Wednesday will likely serve as a jumping-off point for discussions in five southern Milwaukee County communities about consolidating fire department services. The Public Policy Forum report identifies ways in which fire departments in Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners, Oak Creek and Franklin could consolidate and save money -- including combining all five into one. The study comes after about a year of research, involving fire chiefs and administrators from all five communities who explored the range of consolidation possibilities. Local officials last year said they wanted to study greater service sharing in the face of ongoing budget struggles for municipal governments. The Public Policy Forum report presents three …
Eric Robertson
6:15 pm on Friday, July 20, 2012
Curious how WE Energies and PPG result in a unique type of service being provided to the citizens of Oak Creek. I believe all of Oak Creek's neighboring fire departments respond to and help fight fires at PPG and WE Energies when they occur. Shouldn't they all have received the special training if they have to come fight the fires too? What special service is it that Oak Creek is providing that … more ›