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Ramsey, Nowthen, St. Francis, Oak Grove, and Bethel, Minnesota <br />Feasibility Study for Shared or Cooperative Fire and Emergency Services <br />minutes. Four -minute coverage drops to 50 percent in Oak Grove and is also lower in the other service <br />areas, as is to be expected. <br />4 Minutes 8 Minutes 12 Minutes <br />Bethel <br />Oak Grove <br />Ramsey/Nowthen <br />St. Francis <br />100 % <br />50.2 % <br />70.5 % <br />84.9 %® <br />100 % <br />85.8 % <br />98.2 %© <br />95.6 %© <br />100 % <br />97.3 % <br />100 % <br />99.5 % <br />Although the delivery of fire suppression and emergency medical services is at the foundation of each <br />department's mission, additional core activities are necessary to support every emergency services <br />agency. These activities provide the basis for member training and education, public safety education, <br />fire prevention, and code enforcement. More detail on each of the elements is provided within the body <br />of the document. <br />While the preceding sections of the report focus on the current conditions within each of the study <br />agencies, the greater intent of the project is to evaluate the potential for cooperative and/or shared <br />services between the agencies up to and including consolidation if feasible, The final report section <br />examines the multitude of options available to the study agencies and provides direction where <br />appropriate. Three basic strategies are generally available when considering cooperative efforts and <br />shared services, beginning with a do-nothing approach (status quo) and ending with complete <br />unification of the organizations into what is, essentially, a new emergency service provider. In between <br />lay the potential for functional consolidation and operational consolidation. <br />In identifying potential cooperative and shared services opportunities, the project team considered the <br />key issues now challenging each agency and community. Some issues represent roadblocks to <br />integration, while others provide a unique chance for improvement. As an element of the review, <br />affected staff and other officials provided local and internal perspective on organizational culture, <br />community expectations, and other significant matters. <br />ESCI usually makes no distinction between unification, consolidation, or merger, tending to use each <br />term interchangeably. The reader should note that when referring to the union of programs or <br />agencies, the operative words are functional and legal. <br />71 <br />lErr rep y SC,IC s C0115 11101 <br />page 5 <br />