Broward commissioners consider bringing fire rescue department under county control
Key Points(5)
- Broward County commissioners are considering bringing the county’s fire rescue department under direct county control after nearly 25 years of operation under the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
- Commissioners voted Thursday to place the issue on the agenda for their Sept.
- 22 meeting, when they could begin formally discussing whether to transition fire rescue services away from BSO.
- Commissioner Lamar Fisher, who is leading the discussion, said the county now has an opportunity to take greater control over the department and its costs.
- “I’d like to move to direct the county administrator to place an item on the September 22nd board agenda,” Fisher said.
Broward County commissioners are considering bringing the county’s fire rescue department under direct county control after nearly 25 years of operation under the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Commissioners voted Thursday to place the issue on the agenda for their Sept. 22 meeting, when they could begin formally discussing whether to transition fire rescue services away from BSO.
Commissioner Lamar Fisher, who is leading the discussion, said the county now has an opportunity to take greater control over the department and its costs.
“I’d like to move to direct the county administrator to place an item on the September 22nd board agenda,” Fisher said.
He emphasized that Thursday’s discussion was not a final decision, but rather the start of a process that would give commissioners time to review the proposal.
“We all know that public safety is our No. 1 focus as elected officials,” Fisher said. “The purpose of today’s discussion is not to make a final decision.”
BSO has operated Broward Fire Rescue since 2003 under an agreement with the county. The agreement automatically renews every five years, with the current contract set to expire in September 2028. Either side must provide at least one year’s notice if it intends not to renew the agreement.
If commissioners ultimately decide to bring fire rescue under county control, the transition would involve moving about 907 employees from BSO to the county, Fisher said.
“There’s 907 employees in the fire rescue service, so all we’re doing is bringing them over to Broward. Nobody loses their job,” he said.
Fisher said the county already owns the fire rescue facilities and equipment, which could make the transition relatively straightforward. The county would also assume BSO’s existing fire rescue service contracts with municipalities that do not operate their own departments, including Weston, Dania Beach, Lauderdale Lakes and Cooper City.
“We will honor those contracts,” Fisher said.
He said residents would likely see little change in day-to-day services if the county takes over.
“The public won’t even know a difference other than the patch on the arm will say Broward County versus Broward Sheriff’s Office,” Fisher said.
Fisher said the move could also give county officials greater control over costs while maintaining the same level of service.
“Broward County now has the opportunity to control its own fire department and its costs,” he said. “Nothing against the sheriff, but we have to look at taxpayers’ money, so we provide the same level of service, and hopefully it costs a little bit less, but we can control that. Right now we don’t control that cost.”
Other commissioners said they support further examination of the proposal but want additional information before deciding whether to proceed.
Commissioner Nan H. Rich said she has heard from municipalities interested in the potential change.
“Interested to hear the discussion. I hear from many of the municipalities that this is a direction that they would like to go, so we certainly should investigate it,” Rich said.
Commissioner Alexandra P. Davis said she wants to understand why fire rescue was placed under BSO in the first place and examine the historical and financial data surrounding the arrangement.
“I would certainly like more data,” Davis said. “I’m sure as we get into discussion, we’ll get data, historically why it was given over to BSO in the first place.”
The board’s decision to wait until Sept. 22 gives commissioners about 30 days to review the proposal and determine whether they want to begin the formal process of notifying BSO that the county does not intend to renew the agreement.
“The 30-day window will give time for every commissioner to understand it and then make the decision on the 22nd whether we want to move forward with that notification,” Fisher said.
The potential change comes amid broader discussions in Broward about the county’s relationship with BSO. Several municipalities have explored or taken steps to separate from the Sheriff’s Office, particularly over law enforcement services and costs.
Fire rescue’s arrangement with BSO is unusual. Because the department provides services across multiple communities, it has grown into a large regional operation.
Retired BSO Fire Rescue Chief Gregory Holness described the department in a 2022 episode of Sheriff Gregory Tony’s “Shop Talk with the Sheriff” podcast as “the most unique department in the United States, if not in the world.”
Holness said the regional model is effective because of Broward’s dense population and the close proximity of its municipalities, which often sit just a few miles apart.
For now, commissioners have until next month to examine the proposal before deciding whether to begin the process of moving fire rescue out of BSO and back under direct county control.
