Fire coverage discussion continues in Lawrence Township

LAWRENCE TWP. Fire protection continues to be a hot topic.

Township trustees fielded questions and concerns Monday night from a handful of residents about cutting ties with the North Lawrence Fire Department.

The most recent contract between the township and the North Lawrence Fire Department to provide fire and emergency medical services to the southern portion of Lawrence Township ended Dec. 31, 2019.

The two sides have since reached a deal to extend that contract and continue to provide services through Dec. 31 but trustees have previously said they are done negotiating and plan to let the longtime partnership end.

Two residents urged the three-person board to go back to the table and work out a contract with North Lawrence.

Trustee Michael Stevens said he voted to end the relationship with North Lawrence because he believed it was in the best interest for all residents, present and future. Trustee Shawn Lockhart agreed. Only Trustee Les Kamph dissented.

Negotiations reached an impasse with the price tag being the sticking point.

The North Lawrence agency wanted $131,400 with yearly increases in increments of $10,000 in an effort to get closer to the $174,000 it originally sought.

Trustees were only willing to offer $90,000 plus $20,000 for North Lawrence to switch to the RED Center for dispatching services.

Lawrence Township Fire Chief Mark Stewart added that his department does not have enough money to give North Lawrence what they were asking for and that he must have a balanced budget.

Even though the Lawrence Township Fire Department lost $85,000 because the state eliminated the inheritance tax, North Lawrence did not bear any of that loss, he noted. Voters were asked to approve an additional levy to make up for that loss.

Stewart cited his support for a joint fire district with Canal Fulton, which North Lawrence has been invited to join but has so far declined. He said a fire district would eliminate the duplication of equipment as well as extra personnel.

As part of that plan, the Lawrence Township trustees will meet with Canal Fulton officials at 6 p.m. July 29 at the Eugene M. Fellmeth Safety Center to discuss renovating the westside fire station to include living quarters, so firefighters can respond to calls in the southern portion of the township from there.

Stewart added that response time for some areas that North Lawrence currently covers will increase as a result.

On Jan. 1, the North Lawrence Fire Department will no longer be the first responder for fire and emergency calls in the southern end of the township but may be called upon to provide mutual aid, Stewart said.

In reply to a question about billing for ambulance services provided by North Lawrence, Stewart said the township bills a patient's insurance company and does not bill residents for any remaining balance. If a Lawrence Township resident is transported by any department other than Lawrence Township, EMS funds are used to cover any costs not covered by the insurance companies.

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