ICMA’s Center for Public Safety Management. which provides trusted advice and technical assistant to local governments facing public safety challenges, lead a delegation of Swedish public safety officials on a five-city tour of Michigan communities this week to explore the potential benefits of police and fire department consolidation. The delegation included 11 leaders from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), which is similar to sections of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/FEMA, as part of an effort by the Swedish government to improve emergency preparedness and response in rural parts of the nation. 

The study tour kicked off on Monday, February 14, when ICMA Center for Public Safety Management Director Tom Wieczorek welcomed the delegation at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. He then flew with them to Detroit, where they were joined by ICMA Public Safety Center Director of Research and Project Development Leonard Matarese to begin their three-day examination of the five Michigan communities that have successfully consolidated their police and fire functions and policy into a single public safety operation.

The delegation visited the Michigan communities of Berkley (pop. 16,000, Jane Bais Disessa, CM); Grosse Point Park (pop. 13,000; Dale M. Krajniak, CM); Ionia (pop. 10,000; Jason Eppler, CM); Grand Haven(pop. 11,200; Pat McGinnis, CM); and Kalamazoo (pop. 77,000; Ken Collard, CM). Each jurisdiction’s public safety department (PSD) demonstrated how police/fire consolidation can benefit public safety and efficiency while being sensitive to communities’ fiscal concerns.

When previously separate police and fire services are merged successfully into a single public safety department, all emergency response is facilitated through that department, often leading to better coordination of services. A police/fire merger also allows for the greatest use of all the resources committed to delivery of public safety services by transforming the significant down time in the fire service into proactive police service time. 

ICMA’s Center for Public Safety Management brought unique insight to the study tour as thought leaders on the issue of police/fire consolidation. In 1991, ICMA published a groundbreaking report, “Forecasting the Outcome of Police/Fire Consolidations,” which was co-authored by Matarese. The research discussed in that report revealed that many fire departments responded to calls for service less than 10 percent of their on-duty time. In 2007, Matarese and others authored another article, Public Safety Concept in the Post-9/11 World, which was published in ICMA’s PM (Public Management) magazine.

According to Matarese, “A police/fire merger can produce higher service levels at the same costs or maintain existing service levels at lower costs. These five communities in Michigan are prime examples of how such a consolidation can work effectively for citizens and public safety demands.”

“A merger of police and fire into a single public safety department is not for everyone and should not be looked at simply as a way to save money,” added Tom Wieczorek. “There are always costs to cross-training, purchasing equipment, and merging.” Matarese adds, however, that “The collaborative approach does allow a community to better utilize personnel hours to meet workload requirements and may reduce overall personnel costs depending on the workload demands of the combined department.” 

“We thank the Michigan communities for graciously hosting the Swedish delegation and helping them determine what will be the most effective and safest approach for their residents and their specific needs.”