Ken Block organizes independent survey of state fire protection services

January 1, 2015 10:08 pm

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

Twitter: @Rebecca_Turco

Facebook: RebeccaTurcoABC6

PROVIDENCE – As the seemingly never-ending debates continue over Rhode Island’s financial woes with its fire districts, a former gubernatorial candidate is taking matters into his own hands to look for a solution.

Businessman Ken Block is the latest person stepping up to tackle the issue. “I’m looking into it so that we can determine what it is we’re paying for. Are we paying for enough fire protection, not enough fire protection, too much fire protection?”

Block, who has used his campaigns to advocate for modernization of many different governmental agencies, believes the antiquated model used to create the fire districts needs an overhaul. “We have fire stations that have been in the same spot for 100 plus years,” he explained. “We haven’t looked at our fire protection and we haven’t changed it for modern times.”

For financially-plagued districts like Coventry, Union President David Gorman feels that change could be a good thing. “I think the district setup is antiquated and out-of-date for the community,” he said.

Gorman told ABC6 News that according to national standards, most of RI’s districts do not have enough firefighters. He hopes the survey will show the need for more firefighters.

Staffing issues are just one of the areas Block will be looking into after the survey is completed. “We have to make a decision as a state: are government services jobs programs, or are they trying to provide the right amount of services for the right price for the taxpayers,” he said. “And they can’t be both things.”

The data will reflect additional services RI’s fire departments offer, like EMS, according to Block. He hopes to have the findings ready to be analyzed by the end of January.