Jefferson County fire and EMS agencies may merge

Most people know by now that Madras is one of the best places in the country to watch the total solar eclipse in August. Not as well-known is the debate on whether or not to merge the Jefferson County Rural Fire District and the county’s emergency medical services agency.

A proposed tax levy to pay for better emergency services failed in May, leaving the future of the two entities in question. But the overall goal while figuring that out, especially heading into the eclipse period, is still to improve services.

The chairman of the county Board of Commissioners thinks merging the two entities would achieve that.

“We think it’s the type of opportunity that — you know, there could be efficiencies in scale, maybe efficiencies in management, secretarial, and organizational,” Mike Ahern said Wednesday. “Or else we wouldn’t want to do it. We’re hoping we can have better service for the same public cost.”

Ahern is alluding to a meeting in September when the board will try to decide the future of the two services.

A sergeant in the county sheriff’s office said the two already work well in conjunction with one another.

“They work together all the time on crashes, during fires and emergency calls,” Sgt. Ryan Grote said. “We’ll have the ambulance and firefighters respond if need be, so they’re pretty good at working together already.”

Heading into the September meeting, Ahern is keeping an open mind.

“I’m certainly not an expert, but I will be listening,” he said. “There’s a chance we get out of this and think, ‘No, this is the best way to do it.’ And I would buy into that, if that’s what I become convinced of.”

The Jefferson County fire chief said the department is making enough improvements on its own.