Lorain County 9-1-1 Agency to begin dispatching Oberlin Firefighters On November 3

Lorain County 9-1-1 personnel currently answer all emergency phone calls for assistance in the county.  However, beginning November 3, that service will include the actual dispatch of Oberlin firefighters to the emergency location. Under the old system, all calls were answered by Lorain County 9-1-1 and transferred the call to OFD. Personnel at the fire station received the emergency call, determined the emergency type/needs, alerted part-time and off-duty firefighters via pagers, and then drove the first fire apparatus to the scene. This change only affects fire department operations. The Oberlin Police Department will continue to maintain their current dispatch services. 

Why is time important? In the field of emergency medical services, using cardiac arrest research, the medical community adopted a guideline for the arrival/initiation of basic and advanced life support within 6-8 minutes. Similarly, fire suppression is measured by a stage of fire growth known as flashover.  Flashover is a critical point in a fire situation as the likelihood of survival and the chances of saving lives drops dramatically in the room of origin after 7-10 minutes of unimpeded fire growth.

Fire Chief Dennis Kirin describes: “There are very distinct time components involved in receiving, handling, dispatching, responding and mitigating an emergency incident. Some of these time segments are fixed; some are variable. We are altering the variables of call-handling to decrease the time it takes firefighters to reach our residents.” Under the new system, the Lorain County 9-1-1 agency handles the entire call: collecting all pertinent information and alerting the fire department simultaneously. Agency personnel can provide emergency medical information to the caller pending arrival of the responders and have direct access to multi-language interpretation and TTY services. 

Many of the components of the dispatch process are already in place and have been tested over time. The Lorain County 9-1-1 agency has provided dispatch service for many of the county fire departments since its inception. The agency utilizes a computer-aided dispatch system and has regional communication capabilities. Oberlin could not utilize this service earlier, because Oberlin Fire Department also provided fire alarm system monitoring for local businesses and institutions.  The Fire Department worked since January to phase out the alarm monitoring service to enable the change to the 9-1-1 dispatch service.

This is a win-win proposition for the department and the community. We get the needed services to our residents sooner, and it does not require firefighter to sit in the station waiting to answer calls.  

Issue 28 - Oberlin One-Fifth Percent Earned Income Tax Levy to fund Infrastructure Improvements

Recently, early voting began for the November 4 General Election.  Some voters are not yet aware of Issue 28, a tax levy for the City of Oberlin to provide for funding for infrastructure improvements.  Here are some facts about the levy.  

Purpose:  The proposed ten-year, one-fifth percent earned income tax levy will provide the City with revenue for the following capital improvement programs effective 1/1/2009 through 12/31/2018.  These particular efforts/projects would be funded, wholly or in part, by the levy.  

The proposed plan is expected to raise $5 million over ten years.  We intend to use the funds for the following improvements:

Fire Station Upgrade Debt Service ($1.225 million over 10 years) – Provide a safer working environment for Oberlin firefighters by renovating and upgrading the 30+ year old fire station. Ensures Oberlin firefighters have safe, adequate facilities to conduct training and store emergency vehicles/equipment.  The current station is too small; it cannot keep pace with the growth in service demands and operational requirements, and does not meet current codes and safety/health standards.  Debt service from the levy will pay for part of the construction cost of renovations and upgrades of the Oberlin Fire Station.  If the levy is approved, the City would also use existing City reserve funds to pay for part of the construction cost of the Oberlin Fire Station renovation and expansion. The amount of levy proceeds used for the fire station improvements will vary depending on how much reserves are available and how much the city can raise from other sources.

Street Repair/Preventative Maintenance ($2.25 million over 10 years) - This would fund more aggressive pavement maintenance and repair to extend the life Oberlin streets and help to get ahead of rising petroleum costs that make pavement repair more expensive.  This may include funding for replacement of underground utilities or stormwater improvements related to street repair/replacement project.

Pedestrian Safety Improvements ($250,000 over 10 years) – Funding to repair and install sidewalks in areas of the City that are adjacent to City property and facilitate a program to improve quality and availability of sidewalks in Oberlin. 

Parks/Cemetery Improvements ($325,000 over 10 years) – Includes improvements to the parking lot at the Hamilton Street Recreation Complex, bike trails, playgrounds, cemetery, etc.

General Municipal Facility Repair/Adaptation ($125,000 over 10 years) – Repair and modification to municipal facilities to meet intermediate space needs, until a longer term plan is implemented, and increasing resource efficiency of these facilities.

Park Street Bridge ($100,000) – Provide the local match to State funds for reconstruction of the Park Street Bridge.

Future recreation facilities ($725,000 over 10 years) – Provide funding for the results of the master plan for additional recreation improvements.