Warrenton successful in merging its squads

jhanley@manassasjm.com

As the city of Manassas pushes toward merging its fire and rescue departments, all it has to do is look about 20 miles west for a successful example of how to do it.

The town of Warrenton started merging its volunteer squads in 2005. Today it serves as a shining example for every jurisdiction to follow, Warrenton Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Taylor said.

It took about 13 months of conversations and ridding the two departments of the "old mentality" for them to finally be on the same page, Taylor said.

Taylor said there was some resistance from both sides until he convinced them that the decision to merge was, first and foremost, for the residents of the town. By the time the merger came to a vote, there was unanimous support from the Warrenton Fire Department, Taylor said.

"Everyone has their own personality and it takes a very special person to get up in the middle of the night to go and let someone vomit on your shirt," Taylor said. "It also takes a very special person to go into a burning building, into someone's house that they have never even met before. But it also takes a special person to be able to do both."

Taylor said before the merger, the fire department would have to wait to see who would respond on an EMS call because they didn't know who or how many people were stationed at the rescue station down the street. This would slow down response time by several minutes on some occasions.

Due to a significant dropoff in volunteers, there were times when no one or just one person would be manning the rescue station, said Taylor. But now that they are one unit, they know who is manning what station and can respond immediately without waiting for a separate call from the rescue station.

The ultimate outcome of the merger has led to more cost-effective, efficient and single-minded emergency services, Taylor said.

The Warrenton Fire and Rescue Department has around 60 active volunteers and between 110 and 120 volunteer members in total. It responds to approximately 4,600 emergency calls a year in a 96-square mile first-response area.

The Greater Manassas Volunteer Rescue Squad responded to more than 4,000 calls last year and the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company about 2,000. "Once the people saw that there was a need for it, it was a no-brainer," Taylor said.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738 or jhanley@manassasjm.com.