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Hernando Today

Raborn To Address County Board

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By TONY HOLT, Hernando Today

Published: January 11, 2008

SPRING HILL - Charles Raborn has a specific question in mind for county commissioners.

On Tuesday, the chairman of the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District Board will ask it in person, circumventing the normal procedure of simply letting the chief speak on his behalf.

Raborn would not say what question he had in mind, but he offered a clue. He mentioned he did his own research on the company that conducted the recent county-wide fire study - the one that recommended all the county's departments merge into one.

"They have a way of thinking," he said, implying the study was biased and that the company - Emergency Services Consulting Inc. (ESCI) out of Oregon - has reached similar conclusions in other jurisdictions.

Raborn had other concerns about the study and addressed them Wednesday during a Spring Hill Fire Rescue District workshop meeting. He held up the 500+ page report and dropped it on the table in front of him.

"Somewhere in here, they're calling for us to close stations at night?" he asked sounding flabbergasted. "Are we furniture movers?"

The issue of merging the district with the county's fire department has been a sensitive subject for years, particularly in Spring Hill. Tensions reached an all-time high last spring when county commissioners considered approving an ordinance that would have dissolved the fire board.

District employees and many residents felt it would have been the first major step toward a merger, something they have long opposed. Commissioners voted 3 to 2 against the ordinance.

One fire commissioner, Leo Jacobs, thought some of the study's findings were positive. He claimed to have read all 574 pages of the study - the only fire commissioner who did so.

"A lot of stuff in there makes us look good," Jacobs said. "Let's chew on this thing for a while and not be too defensive."

Raborn spent a few minutes harping on the study's suggestion to close certain stations after dark. He said he could not look residents in the eye and tell them a patient died during a longer-than-necessary transport to the hospital "because we closed the (nearest) station at night."

In other district news:

• Chief J.J. Morrison is scheduled to meet interim County Administrator Larry Jennings on Thursday to discuss the property next to the Spring Hill Branch Library.
County commissioners originally wanted to reserve the land in case they decided to expand the facility, which opened in 2006. The library is located at 9220 Spring Hill Drive.

The fire district has eyed the property for years because it would be an ideal location for a new fire station, fire bosses have said.
Fire commissioner George Biro said he has been disappointed in how long it has taken the county to address the issue. He thought Morrison's meeting with Jennings would give both sides an excuse to delay it further. He wanted to see the matter on the agenda in time for Tuesday's county commission meeting.

"Why do we have to go through all these backdoor trails?" Biro asked.

Morrison said the meeting was a "courtesy process" and that he was making headway with the county in getting the issue on the agenda in the coming weeks.

"Again, we're going to waste another month waiting for this land," Biro retorted.

Raborn sided with Morrison and said the meeting was an indication the county was moving forward.
Fire Commissioner Robert Giammarco reminded the board that Tuesday's meeting will already be a "packed day" because that is when county commissioners are expected to speak publicly about the recent fire study. Adding another agenda item would be too much, he warned.

"The whole day will be (devoted) to that fire study," Giammarco said.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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