City and fire leaders to explore cross-district planning amid rising wildfire risk with a consultant-led study to assess staffing, finance and potential service gaps across the region

By Steve Mitchell, Ashland.news

City leaders and fire officials mulled Ashland’s participation in regional fire service planning on Monday, Sept. 15, during the City Council’s study session.

City Manager Sabrina Cotta said that Ashland Fire & Rescue, along with five other regional fire districts, including Jackson County Fire Districts 3 and 5, will select a consultant to conduct a comprehensive study aimed at reviewing regional fire districts’ service planning and capacity. The idea is to improve fire service collaboration and emergency response among the agencies, she said.

“This (study) will be very helpful for Ashland, looking at how we fit in the bigger picture of the regional fire service within the valley,” she said.

Along with reviewing Ashland’s place in the region, the city will also review its own staffing models.

Cotta said the study would be carried out through the fall and winter and expects a final report next spring or summer. According to meeting materials, the study will include a financial analysis, assessment of service level objectives, and a feasibility analysis and recommendations.

The funding for the study comes from a state grant, according to meeting documents.

Fire District 3 Chief Mike Hussey — who is also acting as chief of District 5 — said the initiative to commission the study is due to the escalating demand for emergency services that the districts are struggling to keep up with.

“The cost of doing business is really outpacing our current revenue models,” he said.

Along with Hussey, interim Ashland Fire & Rescue Chief Marshal Rasor was on hand to answer questions about the study.

Rasor said that Ashland already collaborates with other fire districts, and the city and other districts have the ability to loan and borrow equipment through mutual aid agreements. He said recently all of the city’s fire resources were put toward battling a blaze through an “automatic aid” agreement with the Jackson County Fire District.

A key focus of the meeting was the importance of tailoring solutions to the needs of each community, while also sharing resources.

City Councilor Bob Kaplan said Ashland spent two years working on its wildfire protection plan, and that it’s important that the consultant the agencies bring in can take into account the “particularities” of each community.

Ashland Mayor Tonya Graham asked that the study fully account for the rapidly changing wildfire risk driven by climate change.

“If we only look back at what has been needed for fire service up to this point, we might make inappropriate assumptions about what a gap might look like,” she said.

Hussey said “individuality” within each community will be important. However, he said, “wildfire knows no boundaries,” and he emphasized the need for cross-jurisdictional cooperation and adopting strategies that work for each region.

Hussey said Ashland is “advanced” compared to other participants, given that the community has a wildfire protection plan in place. Hussey said he envisions the agencies working with a consultant group and that each jurisdiction would work with an individual consultant.  

City Councilor Derek Sherrell noted the absence of Medford  — a major regional agency — from the study. Hussey said Medford chose not to participate in the study. He added that Medford conducted a study two years ago.

“I don’t think that their absence from this process symbolizes any disagreement or unwillingness to participate,” he said. “They built a sound standard of cover and a strategic plan, and they’ll continue to be strong collaborator. They’re just not part of this study.”  

Sherrell asked Hussey whether, considering communities have mutual and automatic aid agreements in place, how does he plan to direct the consultants to consider the organizational culture and identity of each agency when conducting the study, so that the end goal of helping people during a wildfire is at the forefront of the work?

“Everybody has their own little sandbox,” Sherrell said

Hussey said the consultants will be “very astute” fire service industry professionals who know what the culture and moods are in a particular area. He said it will be important that the consultant does not get too granular in a culture.

“I don’t want it to be divisive,” he said. “Identity is important. It builds competition. It helps each of us be our best servant to the community.”

Going forward, according to meeting materials, the agencies will select a consultant within the coming weeks and provide updates as the process goes along.

Email Ashland.news associate editor Steve Mitchell at [email protected].