The Fort Walton Beach City Council will consider approving a fire department consolidation study at its meeting Tuesday to better provide fire-related services in the community, despite the neighboring Ocean City Wright Fire Control District (OCWFCD) declining to participate.

• The study, which would be done by Matrix Consulting Group for $57,000, would examine three potential consolidation scenarios: merging the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department with OCWFCD under OCWFCD, merging under Fort Walton Beach, or forming a new consolidated fire district.

Fort Walton Beach Fire Chief Jeremy Morgan provided context on the proposal’s history. According to Morgan, the idea of consolidation resurfaces every few years, but has never been successfully implemented due to the potential high costs involved. 

He noted that the concept gained renewed interest and explained that he had brought up the topic in previous council meetings to address rumors and questions circulating within the fire department, suggesting that if the council wanted to pursue consolidation, they should do so to put the matter to rest. 

• Morgan highlighted potential challenges, including 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,” he said.

Ocean City-Wright Fire Chief Jeff Wagner confirmed his district’s lack of interest in the study. In a June 10 letter to Fort Walton Beach City Manager Jeff Peters, Wagner wrote, “After careful deliberation, our board of commissioners has decided that we are not in a position to contribute financially or administratively to the study at this time.”

• Wagner elaborated on OCWFCD’s position: “We have spent the last two years going through the accreditation process and investing hours and hours of determining what our strategic priorities were going to be over the next few years. We have those set and we have a path and a direction to how we’re going to provide the best service to our citizens.”

OCWFCD’s coverage area includes Ocean City, Wright, Shalimar, and Cinco Bayou. The district also provides contracted services to the City of Mary Esther from the city hall station.

Both chiefs emphasized the existing cooperation between their departments through mutual aid agreements. Morgan explained, “The closest unit is going to respond, regardless of what district it’s in. We operate as one big department anyway, and that’s how the mutual aid agreement enforces that.”

• Wagner said, “Operationally, as far as consolidation, absolutely nothing would change. We’ve operated in sync for the whole 20 years that I’ve been here.”

Addressing the topic of redundancy, Wagner stated, “Having two separate departments and the way that we operate, I just don’t see that redundancy. So I don’t see the savings.”

The Matrix Consulting Group’s proposal outlines a comprehensive approach to the study, including stakeholder meetings, assessment of current conditions, and projections of future service demands. The group boasts extensive experience in analyzing fire service operations across the United States, particularly in Florida.

• If approved, the study would take approximately six months to complete. Funding would need to be added to the FY 2024-25 budget. Chief Morgan noted that similar studies in other areas have proven costly. 

Both chiefs also pointed out that any consolidation would require legislative action, as OCWFCD is a legislatively created governmental entity.

The Fort Walton Beach City Council meeting is scheduled for September 24, 2024. The council will decide whether to proceed with the study, considering the financial implications and the potential benefits to public safety and operational efficiency.