Playing with fire: OFD fights flames with five | The Miami Student

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The Miami

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ptember 30, 2014

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OME ! UNIVERSITY ! PLAYING WITH FIRE: OFD FIGHTS FLAMES WITH FIVE

UNIVERSITY

Playing with fire: OFD fights

flames with fiveREIS THEBAULT SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

hoto by Lauren Olson, Photography Editor

xford Fire Department scrambles to serve region with a limited budget
http://miamistudent.net/?cat=4http://miamistudent.net/?cat=4http://miamistudent.net/?cat=4http://miamistudent.net/?cat=4http://miamistudent.net/?p=15004528#http://miamistudent.net/http://miamistudent.net/http://miamistudent.net/?cat=4http://miamistudent.net/?author=5http://miamistudent.net/?cat=4http://miamistudent.net/http://miamistudent.net/?p=15004528#http://miamistudent.net/?p=15004528#http://miamistudent.net/?p=15004528#http://miamistudent.net/


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n alarm cuts through the Oxford Fire Department late on a Friday night. The sound jolts five

en from nervous sleep. A dispatchers voice rings from the PA system and tells the crew where

go.

hey are all tired. Some are working the latter half of 48-hour shifts. They try to sleep, but as

on as they shut their eyes, the alarm sounds. It isnt a

easant noise.

nce theyre awake though, they are alert, their movements deft and practiced. Three of them

ad up an ambulance and set off. The other two stay behind, in case there is another call.

his is a typical weekend night for OFD. Because those nights are busier, five firefighters are on

ty. During the week, there are just four.

ast year, the department responded to 2,274 calls quite a feat considering the limited number

people on duty each night.

FD has 66 employees and just one of their firefighters is full-time Chief John Detherage.

his makes Miami University the only Division 1 school without a full-time fire department in

town.

FDs budget cant support full-time employees, or provide health insurance to the part-timers.

ecause of this, Oxford firefighters have to work other jobs as well.

m not sure people realize what all these guys do, Detherage said. How many hours they put

to try to make a

ving doing something they are really passionate about and they really love.

assion, though, cant always make up for a lack of people.

ts definitely playing the odds, Detherage said. Were definitely lucky. You can only do so

uch with four or five guys.

nd while OFD may be under-staffed, there is no shortage of things for them to do. The

partment responds to calls for fire, fire alarms, emergency medical service, hazardous material

illage and carbon monoxide.

About anything you can think of, Detherage said. We go after it.

iami senior and volunteer firefighter Zach Butler said this is exactly why a well-staffed, well-

nded department is essential for the community.

People dont call 911 and request medical assistance unless they believe it is an emergency,

utler said. Fire departments that are understaffed and underfunded cannot realistically meet

mmunity demands. Could you imagine calling 911 and have no idea when and if someone

ould show up?


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hile Detherage said OFD does an exemplary job meeting the needs of the community, even

st a few more people on duty would allow the department to better their service.

f we had eight guys all the time, we would have a more efficient operation, Detherage said.

he problem, however, boils down to funding.

Do we have the money coming in right now to support that? Its not sustainable, he said.

ty Manager Doug Elliott said the lack of funds is due to various cutbacks at the state level.hile he would like to hire more people, he said the money just

nt there.

ve been in government for over 35 years and you can always make the case for more

sources, but you have to do the best you can with what you have, he said.

FDs operating budget is about $1.5 million and they are the sole provider of EMS service for

area of roughly 53 square miles (this includes Oxford, Oxford Township and Milford

ownship). Oxford Police Department, on the other hand, has an operating budget of around $3.5illion and 40 full-time employees. They are one of three police forces in the area.

etherage, though, said he understands the citys predicament.

understand that you cant take away from everything else in the city to try and fund the fire

partment, he said. Everything else has to function too. If you said, Were going to take $1

illion out of the police budget and put it in the fire budget, you would cripple them.

etherage said it has taken a while for OPDs budget to get to where it is. The fire department,

said, will need to go through a similar progression in the future.

think thats something that youll see evolve here, he said. Maybe not as fast as I would like,

t eventually its going to happen, its going to have to.

s understaffed as they are, OFD seems to be on a different projection than other fire

partments in the area.

hen Elliott began as city manager in 2007, the department was entirely volunteer. Since, it has

ogressed from three part-time people during the day, to four and five part-timers all the time.

ven this transition was a stress on the citys budget. Elliott decided to raise the income tax .25

rcent in order to fund the new positions. Today, that quarter percent generates most of OFDs

erating budget.

liott pointed out this expansion came at a time when other fire departments were cutting

sitions. Recently, he said, the city of Middletown laid off 11 full-time firefighters.


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cant say this is the best time in the world to be trying to build up a fire department,

etherage said. It has made it very tough.

espite budget constraints, Elliott said there is a possibility of additional OFD positions soon. He

esents his proposed budget to City Council Oct. 1 and said he has recommended the addition

more full-time supervisors. But nothing is guaranteed.

Were still working those numbers, but of course that will add to our cost, he said.

ntil then, OFD will continue to operate with four or five people on duty. And, many times that

mber is adequate. Although, there are times like the Fiji house fire in 2013 when they

mply dont have enough people.

these cases, the department has to use something called mutual aid. This alerts nearby forces

the situation and asks for their help. The only problem with that, Detherage said, is that it can

ke up to 20 minutes for another department to arrive on the scene. Because of the petroleum-

sed materials used in modern furniture and houses, and its tendency to burn quickly, every

inute is crucial.

or now, Detherage said, being under-funded and overworked is all part of the job a job his

efighters will do regardless of the conditions, because they love what they do.

When it comes right down to it, if you dont enjoy helping people, you wont do this very long,

said. Its just too damn hard work.


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(LEFT TO RIGHT) FIREFIGHTERS SCOTT BURROWS AND JEFF MATIX ARE TWO OF 65 PART-TIME OXFORD FIRE DEPARTMENT

YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO 2,274 CALLS. ON WEEKENDS THE SHIFT CONSISTS OF FIVE EMPLOYEES, DURING T

FOUR.

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