Memo from Thompson explaining Fire Contract City of Atlantic
Beach
Memo
To Jim Hanson, City Manager
From: David E. Thompson"Xat. City Manager
CC:
Date: 4/26/2011
Re: Atlantic Beach /Jacksonville Fire Contract
In 1998, I was working for the City of Atlantic Beach as the Chief of Police and the Director of
Public Safety. One of my responsibilities was to oversee the operations of the Atlantic Beach Fire
Department. It was during this timeframe that I became involved in the negotiations with the
City of Jacksonville to forge an agreement that would result in a contractual agreement between
the cities of Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville for Fire and Rescue Services. When the agreement
was authorized and signed by the two cities in 1999, I was the acting City Manager for the City of
Atlantic Beach.
The negotiations between Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville began when I was told by JFRD staff
that they needed another station to support the growing population at the beach. It became
immediately clear that JFRD, including Chief Ray Alfred, was very much in favor of exploring an
agreement with Atlantic Beach to consolidate Fire services.
JFRD would benefit by not being required to purchase land, build a facility, or deal with the
political issues sometimes associated with the placement of fire stations near residential
subdivisions. JFRD had been hiring firefighters away from Atlantic Beach for many years, and
they knew that if they absorbed the Atlantic Beach firefighters, they would be getting high quality
firefighters for their staffing. JFRD also recognized that there were numerous advantages to
having a unified command structure on the scene of a major incident, and the past system of
incident command under the agency with original jurisdiction had been problematic at best. In
short, JFRD would benefit significantly from an agreement with the City of Atlantic Beach, and
this was reflected by their staff members.
The City of Atlantic Beach had sought to provide an ALS (Advanced Life Support) level of service
to its citizens. However, this required the department to have certified paramedics working at all
times. Due to the higher pay levels and the opportunities offered in a large department, Atlantic
Beach firefighters typically obtained their paramedic certifications, and then they were quickly
hired by JFRD. As a result, there was a constant flow of highly qualified firefighters from Atlantic
Beach to JFRD. It became apparent that Atlantic Beach was not going to be able to achieve an
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ALS level of service as long as this flow continued. Entering into a contract with JFRD would
assure an ALS level of service that would benefit the City of Atlantic Beach.
Clearly, the agreement would be a win -win situation for both organizations. JFRD obtained
benefits that they needed, and Atlantic Beach obtained benefits that they needed. The
organizations agreed to a 25 year contract term to protect both parties' interests.
I thought that this clarification was necessary to show that Atlantic Beach did not go to
Jacksonville begging for fire protection. The phrase suggesting that the initiative was being
pursued "... at the request of Atlantic Beach..." does not recognize many months of negotiations
with JFRD and City of Jacksonville staff members who actively pursued and supported the
contractual agreement. Jacksonville staff members actively pursued and participated in the
negotiations of this contractual agreement because they knew that they would benefit from the
relationship.
Additionally, Lex Hester was not a major factor initiating this contract... although he did support
Chief Alfred and his staffs recommendations in the contract. Mr. Hester attended several
meetings during the negotiations, but the agreement was largely a result of Jacksonville Fire and
Rescue staff support.
I hope that this background is helpful in understanding the motivations that eventually led to this
agreement. This was not about a benevolent county fire department doing a favor for a small
municipal department in need. As a matter of fact, it was a very politically controversial move
that met with considerable resistance in Atlantic Beach. When the agreement was approved and
authorized by both cities, it was because both Jacksonville and Atlantic Beach identified specific
benefits that would enhance their organizations and the service delivery to their citizens.
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