FORT WAYNE, IND. (WOWO) A proposed merger of fire departments outside Fort Wayne city limits is moving forward as Allen County officials and local fire chiefs work to evaluate a consolidated emergency response system. Allen County Commissioner Ron Turpin appeared on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee Thursday to discuss the ongoing process and explain the rationale behind the potential merger. “At its core, the goal is to achieve an eight-minute response time everywhere throughout Allen County,” Turpin said. “In some places, that’s already achieved. Other places, it’s not.” Currently, several separate fire districts operate independently but frequently assist one another through mutual aid agreements. Turpin explained that consolidation would streamline coordination. “If you have, let’s say, a fire in Huntertown right now, it just won’t be Northwest that will be there. You’ll probably have Northeast and West Central as well that will come,” he said. “It’s really about a matter of coordinating and collaborating more efficiently and effectively under one department instead of having five right now.” Turpin emphasized that the initiative is being led by the fire chiefs themselves, not the Board of Commissioners. “They held a series of meetings over the last few weeks… at the Coliseum. I actually went to two of the three and sat in the back just to observe,” he said. “The meetings were QA sessions for the public — answering questions about cost, what the structure would look like, and the timeline.” A committee has been formed to hire a chief for the proposed consolidated district. The five-member group includes one commissioner, one county council member, and three fire personnel. “That person will be charged with working with the other fire chiefs and their personnel to help design what this one system would look like. Once they do that, they would bring that proposal to the Board of Commissioners,” Turpin said. If the merger moves forward, Turpin said the target implementation date is January 1, 2027. He added that a functional structure and budget will need approval from the county council before then. “Even though it’s effective January 1st, you’ll have to have a structure in place really by later this summer that would go before county council to approve any kind of budget,” he explained. The hiring process for the new chief is underway. “A job description was put together, and we received 13 applicants from around the country,” Turpin said. “The committee is coming close to making a decision, but I’m not sure exactly where they are yet.” Turpin expressed confidence in the proposal’s progress. “When you talk to the various chiefs… this is by no means something that’s being forced. It’s a dialogue. They see the value in it, they’re working with their boards on it, and they feel very confident in it. I feel pretty good about where we’re at.” While initial public meetings are complete, Turpin said additional opportunities for community input will be available. “I’m planning on doing a road show this summer throughout Allen County to talk about a variety of issues. This would be one that people can ask about as we get deeper into the discussion,” he said. Blakeslee concluded the segment noting that the county would provide ongoing updates as the consolidation process continues. The post WOWO EXCLUSIVE: Commissioner Ron Turpin provides an update on County Wide Fire District appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less