CYPRESS : All-Volunteer Fire Station to Be Studied

The City Council last week chose 15 residents to serve on a special Fire Service Task Force that will study the effectiveness of the city’s only all-volunteer fire station.

Over the next several months, the panel of 14 men and one woman will listen to arguments for and against the volunteer system, sift through documents and come up with a recommendation to the council.

Among other things, the task force is charged with determining if the current fire system serving the city is adequate and if Station 12, the firehouse in question, should be closed.

“We have tried our best to establish a task force that will come up with a meaningful recommendation to the council,” Mayor Richard Partin said before the selections were announced.

Fifteen applicants were chosen from the original pool of 30 to sit on the committee, with each council member appointing three committee members. Included are both volunteer and staff firefighters, along with concerned local residents.

The dispute surrounding the station came to light last November when resident Craig Campbell asked the council to replace the all-volunteer Station 12 with a paid force. He argued that the volunteers were not as well trained as their paid counterparts and also had difficulty responding to calls.

At a public hearing in January, Campbell and county officials squared off over the issue. The county vehemently denied his charges and maintained that the volunteers are an economical way to provide fire protection.

Both Campbell and county fire officials will be given an opportunity to present their arguments to the task force.

Last week, the council agreed to have the task force report to them periodically. Most council members expect that it will take several months for the committee to complete its study. Partin suggested putting a two-month deadline on the entire process but could not garner enough support from fellow council members.

The task force will begin meeting this month.