The Fort Walton Beach City Council will consider a proposal from AP Triton, LLC for a fire services consulting study at their regular meeting Tuesday, January 28.
- The Wyoming-based consulting firm emerged as the top choice among three companies that submitted proposals for the study, according to Fire Chief Jeremy Morgan’s report to the City Council. Matrix Consulting Group of California and McGrath Consulting Group of Tennessee also submitted bids.
If approved, the study would take approximately nine months to complete and would be funded from the city’s 2024-25 General Fund Fund Balance. The cost remains unknown, as the sealed fee schedules will only be opened if the council awards the bid.
The scope of the new study differs from previous attempts, following the council’s October 2024 directive to remove predetermined outcomes and instead examine all potential strategies for cost savings and service efficiencies in the Fort Walton Beach area, including consolidation options.
Earlier versions of the study focused on three specific consolidation scenarios: merging under Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District’s management, combining under Fort Walton Beach’s leadership, or creating an entirely new district.
- In September, the council rejected a $57,000 bid from Matrix Consulting Group with a 4-3 vote.
The city initially sought to share the study’s administrative and financial burden with Ocean City-Wright to avoid potential bias and reduce costs for Fort Walton Beach citizens. However, in June 2024, Ocean City-Wright Chief Wagner informed the city his district would not participate. The district’s union leadership also expressed disinterest in the study.
Fire Chief Morgan previously expressed concerns about consolidation challenges, citing complications with combining debt services, equipment, personnel, pay plans, and pension plans. “We’ve been around since the 1940s. We have a lot of retirees on pension plans that the city will have to keep paying until they pass away,” Morgan told Get The Coast in a previous interview.
AP Triton representatives are expected to be at Tuesday’s meeting to give a presentation and answer council questions, according to city documents. The council will then decide whether to proceed with the study, which would examine current fire protection system operations, response capabilities, staffing, and other resources necessary for service delivery.
Any potential consolidation would require legislative action, as the Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District was created through legislation.
