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County approves Dawsy’s fire plan
INVERNESS — The Citrus County Commission took a radical step toward solving its longtime fire services dilemma Tuesday by voting to shift the program to Sheriff Jeff Dawsy.
With the 3-2 vote, Dawsy and County Attorney Richard Wesch will develop a contract for services that places all county fire services but Crystal River’s under the sheriff’s control. Crystal River maintains its own volunteer department.
The commission majority, led by Joe Meek, said Dawsy’s plan increases services and coverage throughout the county, provides more training opportunity and increases the ability to attract volunteers.
Commission dissenters John “JJ” Kenney and Winn Webb said the county could do everything Dawsy offered and accomplish it faster.
“There is nothing we can’t do here,” Webb, an announced candidate for sheriff in 2012, said. “It is about the money and we’ve got to deal with it.”
Dawsy’s plan opens three new career fire stations in Sugarmill Woods, Floral City and DeRosa. He does that without hiring more firefighters by moving six fire officials from desk jobs to fire stations and reducing the number of firefighters at three stations from three to two.
“We will enhance the community’s safety instantly,” he said.
Kenney said he didn’t like Dawsy’s plan to staff all but two career stations with two firefighters.
“I perceive inherent dangers with a two-man crew,” Kenney said. “I’m concerned about that.”
Dawsy said Withlacoochee Technical Institute will offer training at a much-reduced rate because instructors will not be county employees. He said the plan offers enough savings to hiring coordinators for training and volunteer recruitment.
Dawsy said deputies can be cross-trained as volunteer firefighters. He also suggested other incentives for volunteers, such a bumping the per-call rate from $10.50 to $15.
Dawsy’s presentation did not include a budget, though it does not increase costs above where they are now. The county fire budget is about $1 million in the red.
Meek, who co-chaired with Dawsy a public safety task force that recommended the sheriff offer a proposal, said the plan was exactly what the task force wanted.
“It’s solving the issue,” Meek said. “It’s not just funding it and throwing money at the problem.”
Residents attending Tuesday’s meeting were as divided as the board and for the same reasons. Proponents lauded Dawsy’s ideas and leadership, saying his plan provides relief for outlying areas of the county.
“We’ve been without fire protection for three years,” said Ed Schiller, a member of the task force who represented the Sugarmill Woods Civic Association. “This is the first breath of fresh air with the sheriff’s plan.”
Opponents, such as Theodora Rusnak, president of the Citrus County Council, said the fire issue could be solved with more funding and oversight by fire experts.
“We’ve got a great sheriff. Let him do sheriff’s stuff,” Rusnak said. “We’ve got a good fire chief. Let him do fire stuff. Just give him the money.”
Chronicle reporter Mike Wright can be reached at (352) 563-3228 or mwright@chronicleonline.com.
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DOWN WITH DAWSEY FACEBOOK CAMPAGIN
lets but all the dirt EVERYBODY KNOWS about dawsey we will call the face book page DOWN WITH DAWSEY there is way to much coruption going on by jeff dawsey FREEDOM OF SPEACH!!!!!
IT'S TIME TO TAKE BACK THIS COUNTY!!!!!
We need to just abolish the BOCC because they are worthless and DO NOT REPRESENT the majority opinions or values in Citrus County. After this vote, it is clear to see that if you don't work for DAWSY or any department of the CCSO, now you will enjoy unemployment for decades to come! With this vote, the Sheriff's Office Controls all most all of the government offices within the county, giving the Sheriff's Office ultimate POWER throughout the county! GOOD OLE BOY SYSTEM ALIVE AND WELL IN CITRUS COUNTY! Now we all will suffer! Thanks to all the 66% that voted for DAWSY in 2008 you have shifted local government from democratic to a monopoly. WILL YOU PEOPLE EVER LEARN!
For the 65% of you that voted for Rebecca BAYS, thanks for all those JOBS SHE PROMISED US and thanks FOR ALL THE DEBT WE WILL INCUR because of her two-faced voting scheme that has sunk this county to the lowest I have ever seen it. That's pretty bad, considering the likes of past leaders!
Those of you that voted for Meek (61%) and Damato (54.5%) I hope your happy now! They haven't provided any JOBS either. These two have just about ruined Citrus County all together. These two are a total disappointment for our community and since they added Good Ole Girl Bay's they have laid out an agenda to vote the opposite of the general consensus of our community! They have proven to be nothing but CROOKS! WHEN WILL IT END?
How about the 63% of you that voted for Charlie S. Dean? What has he done to help this community out? Nothing! And he will continue to do nothing because he is too old and doesn't understand the new ways the government is doing business and his GOOD OLE BOY routine has finally caught up to him! Maybe, if we were lucky he could change the zoning laws of his BARN again and let DAWSY build his own private Fire Station on his property! He's another nut job that needs to go!
The BOCC couldn't even set a meeting at the FREEZER & have a couple of drinks to figure out a different solution to the problems encountering Citrus County. Hell, they cannot think for themselves, they have to consult DAWSY or Dixie Hollins, and Dick Wesh before thinking how they wish to pursue their vote! Do you people vote just on name recognition or do you vote republican just because that's your party and the first name you come too or know? How has this county come to this? NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL OF US TO RID OURSELVES OF OVERTAXATION AND WASTEFUL COUNTY GOVERNMENT SPENDING! ALL AREAS OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION NEED TO BE SEPARATE BECAUSE A MONOPOLY IS BEING FORMED AGAINST THE PUBLIC AND THIS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. ONE GOVERNMENT AGENCY SHOULD NOT HOLD POWER OF ANOTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? It's time to take back our community Citrus County or should I say Dawsy County, Florida!
Brealistic
Leave the sheriffs office fuction as a law enforcement agency
They are law enforcement officers and should only be responsible for running their own agency the Office of the Sheriff. If you look why we were one million in the red for fire services it was because of under funding of our tax money directed to fire services. We have 10 deputies assigned to both cities is why CCSO can do it for less, with less man power. Less police protection equals less cost. There is no business strength there. Now the county will properly fund the fire departments and magic it is run better. Dawsy does not have an MBA is business from an Ivy league school, nor does anyone in his command staff. One day Dawsy will elect to retire and God help the next sheriff balancing his budget, juggling of so many departments, handling so many agencies with different functions.
I think CCSO needs to concentrate on law enforcement issues, catching the bad guys, putting people in jail and cleaning up the major drug problem in Citrus County not handing other agencies over to the sheriff to try to rescue.
Can it be worse?
The county fire budget at this time is 1 MILLION DOllARS IN THE RED! I am not sure how it could get worse than that. I do not believe Dawsy went to them and said I can fix it, I believe the county went to him. The same way they went to Dawsy with the two city police departments and Animal Control.
2 Man Staffing on Trucks
The response times and stats for Sugarmill, DeRosa and Floral City will improve, but........ with 2 man crews, that is not going to save their homes. This may be ok for medical calls, brush fires or car wrecks, but for a structure fire, no way. Anyone with any type of training knows that one firefighter alone can not save a burning house. It is too dangerous, there should alway be a two man team on a hose when entering a burning house, one person running the pump and a TWO person RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) standing by outside. So just remember, the fire truck might get on scene fast, but they are going to have to wait for more man power to arrive.
Dawsy must not run anything
Dawsy must not run anything at his house? Is there nothing this guy does not want to control in this county? RETIRE ALREADY, RETIRE, RETIRE....