Chapel Hill’s signature Carolina blue fire trucks do more than just fight fire — and Fire Chief Dan Jones wants to figure out what other services the town wants the department to provide.
The town’s current comprehensive plan does not include what additional services the fire department should offer or how it should spend its $6.9 million budget.
But members of the department are working with Chapel Hill 2020 — the town’s long-term planning process — to create a more definite idea of what the fire department’s role should be.
“What we’re hoping comes out of 2020 is a clearer expectation of what the community wants,” Jones said.
In addition to fighting fires, the fire department provides environmental protection, rescue service, disaster management, fire code enforcement and first-responder services for medical emergencies.
“Just about anything that doesn’t involve crimes ends up involving the fire department,” Jones said.
He said the department chooses what services to provide based on professional advice.
One of the services the department chooses to offer is first responders’ emergency medical assistance, which responds to emergency situations within the town and is not required by law.
Emergency medical services are provided by Orange County, but Jones said it takes Chapel Hill first responders only four minutes to respond to calls, while the county takes about 17 minutes.
