Beaufort, Port Royal councils work together on proposed fire department contract

Port Royal and Beaufort officials considered details Tuesday of a proposed contract for an expanded joint fire department.
They are considering changing the agreement so the municipalities share not only personnel but equipment, with Beaufort shouldering a greater percentage of the costs. Port Royal officials have expressed concerns about losing control of their fire trucks and other equipment. Members of both councils met in a joint, closed-door session to discuss contract details Tuesday morning.
“It made sense for us (town officials) to meet together in executive session because this is really a partnership between us,” Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said.
For more than 20 years, the Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department has had a shared services agreement that allows cost and manpower efficiencies, city manager Scott Dadson said. The firefighters are employed by Beaufort, and Port Royal pays a negotiated portion of the costs.
The new agreement would also consolidate town and city assets — buildings, equipment and vehicles — and costs would be broken down based on population and buildings in the coverage area. The department covers the core areas of Beaufort and Port Royal, with outlying land protected by the Burton and Lady’s Island/St. Helena fire departments.
Beaufort would pay about 70 percent and Port Royal about 30 percent, Dadson said.
Officials said concerns include specifically outlining how assets are divided if the town and city choose to stop sharing services one day, construction of new fire stations, rehabilitation of existing stations and fire truck purchases. Those details are important to municipal staff and officials, Dadson said, but the typical resident simply wants to make sure firefighters will respond in an emergency.
“People don’t care about the politics,” he said. “They want the fire truck just to show up.”
If the municipalities chose to end the existing agreement, Port Royal would have six months to hire personnel and establish an independent fire company, Dadson said. Under the proposed contract, there would be a two-year “wind-out” period, during which the departments would prepare for independent operations.
Port Royal Mayor Sam Murray said Tuesday’s executive session was informative, but officials asked fire chief Sammy Negron for additional information and data, and a clear outline of what the new contract would mean for residents and the municipalities. He anticipated additional meetings would be needed before an agreement could be reached.