By Rich Pollack
Town leaders in Highland Beach want Delray Beach city officials to know how much they like the fire-rescue service the larger community provides to town residents at a cost just over $3 million annually — and they would like to keep it that way.
While Delray Beach waits for a price quote from Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue to determine whether a county take over of its fire-rescue operations is feasible, Highland Beach officials are hoping that Delray will consider the partnership the town has with Delray Fire-Rescue before a decision is made.
A letter sent last month to Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein and signed by Highland Beach Mayor Bernard Featherman praised Delray Beach Fire-Rescue and Chief Danielle Connor for the outstanding service provided to the town and for the relationship that has been forged since Delray Beach first began providing service in 1993.
“On behalf of the Highland Beach Town Commission, staff and residents, we want to express that we truly value the relationship we have with your Fire Department and the working relationship we have with the City of Delray Beach,” the letter says. “Although we understand that there are many factors to be considered when analyzing the outsourcing of any service, we hope you will consider the rapport that has developed between our municipalities.”
Under a current contract, Delray Beach Fire Rescue provides the personnel to staff a fire station owned by Highland Beach and a fire truck and rescue wagon also provided by the town.
Town Commissioner Dennis Sheridan said that, while Delray Beach is exploring it options for fire-rescue service, two key public-safety issues in Highland Beach have been put on hold.
During the summer, Highland Beach agreed to switch the handling of its incoming 911 calls from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to Delray Beach in order to have both police and fire services dispatched by the same center.
Currently the town’s 911 police and fire calls are received by the sheriff’s office, which directly dispatches calls for the Highland Beach Police Department. Emergency fire or rescue calls, however, have to be transferred to Delray Beach dispatchers, which adds an additional step.
Implementation of the plan to have all Highland Beach 911 calls dispatched by Delray Beach was put on hold after the town learned Delray Beach was considering contracting with the county for fire-rescue service.
Also on hold is Highland Beach’s decision about how to replace its existing 17-year-old fire truck the town owns. One plan being considered was for the town to lease a truck from Delray Beach Fire-Rescue but discussions on that issue have also been put on hold.
“We’re kind of in limbo right now,” Sheridan said.
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