ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Outgoing Zephyrhills City Manager Steven Spina recently presented the city’s mayor and council members with possible options to explore when it comes to the future of the Zephyrhills Fire Department. One of those options: consolidation with Pasco Fire Rescue.
- Consolidation one of several options
- Spina, successor will meet with Pasco officials on May 23
- Talks in very early stages
- More Pasco County stories
"It’s an expensive department," said Spina. "I think the budget this year was $3.5 million or $3.3 million, but we purchased a new engine, we’re over on overtime."
As a result, Spina said those expenses are creeping closer to $4 million. On top of that, the city’s general fund revenue and reserves are expected to take a hit in the coming years.
Among his suggestions to city leaders: a possible consolidation with Pasco County Fire Rescue.
“At some point, they’re going to merge. I think that’s going to happen," he said. "It’s just a matter of not only dollars and cents, but also public safety."
Spina said a prime example of this is the May 2 fire that destroyed the Crystal Bar. He called it the largest fire the city’s seen in years.
“We had four people, initially. Well, four people can’t handle that,” he said of the number of firefighters on duty at both city stations at the time the call came in. “Pasco ended up sending five or six units, so we ended up having 21 people from Pasco County.”
Spina said one firefighter was on a required day off, a second was out on worker’s compensation, and the last position is unfilled.
He told the council he thinks the city will need to add at least three firefighters/paramedics, but finding the money for those jobs will be a challenge. The department applied for a SAFER Grant last year to fund positions, but was denied.
Another option: enter into an interlocal agreement with the county to initiate a closest station response plan, with city firefighters responding to calls in the county’s coverage area if they’re closer and vice versa.
But Spina said this would still require additional revenue, as would continuing to operate as an independent department. That could come in the form of a fire assessment fee the city is considering.
Spina said he and Assistant City Manager Billy Poe, who will take over the city manager spot when Spina retires next month, plan to meet with Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles and PCFR Chief Scott Cassin on May 23 to discuss options.
Talks are in the very early stages. While few details are known, Spina said he doesn’t believe any agreement with the county would lead to job loss.
A public workshop is planned for May 28 to pass on any new information the city gets to residents. That workshop is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at city hall.