Cheryl Csordas: No.

Laura Lorenzo: Years ago, both my husband and I had cousins who worked for the NYPD.

Andrew Mutch: My brother is the Jail Supervisor for the City of Carrollton, Texas Police Department. My brother-in-law is a patrol officer with the City of Detroit Police Department.. While I do not work in a public safety position, my position at work for the Charter Township of Waterford does include support for the public safety departments including the fire and police departments. Through my work, I’m familiar with the responsibilities and needs of these departments. I know Fire Chief Dennis Storrs and he can speak to my contributions at Waterford Township.

Wayne Wrobel: My father John Wrobel, (a current Novi resident) is a retired Detroit Police Lieutenant. My Uncle Lawrence Hofer, (deceased) was a Detroit Fire Department Chief and another Uncle William Tucker, is a retired Grosse Pointe Firefighter/Public Safety Officer. I am currently a member of the Novi CERT organization.

Cheryl Csordas: I would keep Fire Station 3 open. I like the fact that there is a Fire Station in every sector of the city.

Laura Lorenzo: No, I do not support the closing of Fire Station 3. I am very concerned about the potential for increased response times for area residents/businesses as a result of such an action. If elected, I would propose addressing the issue soon after the election. The City cannot afford to build a new station at this time, and I do not know if suggestions to lease available space in the area would represent a feasible alternative in terms of affordability/liability/practicality. However, I would propose/support prioritizing the funding, if possible, for at least the “High Priority” items (approximately $161,000) listed in the 2007 Architectural Analysis/Needs Assessment Report.

Andrew Mutch: I will not support any changes to the operations of the fire stations that will lead to a increase in response times or diminish the public safety of Novi residents and the personal safety of the responding personnel.

Wayne Wrobel: There is no way I could support closing Fire station #3. This would leave Southeast Novi without adequate fire protection. If the existing station #3 does not meet the current needs of the fire department, Novi needs to evaluate all available options to replace the existing station. This could be a rehab of the existing building, building a new station in the vicinity, or looking for another existing building in the area that could be used as a new fire station. After attending the Fire/Police town Hall meeting in September, it is obvious; the citizens who attended the meeting are not in favor of closing station #3.

Cheryl Csordas: Fire and Police are #1 in the city's budget.

Laura Lorenzo: I have always believed (and stated/voted) that the Fire Department is of the highest priority in the City budget, along with police protection, snow removal, road repair, water and sewer service, and flood prevention. I continuously demonstrated my commitment to prioritizing public safety services while previously serving on the Novi City Council, and I took a lead role in identifying and allocating funding for necessary Fire Department equipment and station renovations/repair.

Andrew Mutch: The fire department is one of the highest priority departments in the city budget. Fire services along with police, providing water and sewer services and maintaining roads are one of the basic core functions of Novi city government. In tough budget times, all city departments will be asked to be as efficient and cost-effective as possible. However, in deciding where to cut, city administration should start in other areas first.

Wayne Wrobel: In my opinion, public safety is the primary responsibility of the City of Novi. At a minimum, residents expect to receive the same level of fire, EMS, and police protection as they receive now. I also believe any additional improvements to the existing fire protection system would be desired and supported by residents. Residents want to have the necessary fire/EMS service in place so if they are needed, they will be available in a timely manner.

Cheryl Csordas: Oppose.

Laura Lorenzo: It is my goal to provide stability which includes maintaining both a Fire Department and a Police Department, and the same – or enhanced – level and delivery of core services to the citizens of Novi that we are all proud of, without raising taxes. Hopefully, our financial position will not erode to the point of having to consider a single public safety department, but in my opinion, current City Council spending practices are not helping to achieve my goal of stability.

Andrew Mutch: Nothing I have read about communities that have combined police and fire services have given me any reason to think that it would be successful in Novi. I have no interest in pursuing such a proposal.

Wayne Wrobel: There are many obstacles that would have to be dealt with prior considering the combining of the fire and police departments. The major issue would be the cross training of both police and fire personnel, The amount of initial and continued training required would be monumental and I am not sure if it would be financially viable for the city to pursue this option. The administration of such a department would be an issue also. I would be concerned about the availability of public safety officers to provide adequate coverage if separate incidents occurred at the same time. At this time, I don't know if the overhead saving realized by the combining both the fire and police departments would be great enough to offset the potential problems that could occur by combining both fire and police departments.

Cheryl Csordas: Oppose.

Laura Lorenzo: No, I would not support diminishing the capability of the first emergency responders to transport a patient to the hospital in a life/death medical situation. While I fully support striving to be as efficient as possible and reducing costs, I do not believe that the City should skimp on emergency vehicles/equipment that could literally mean the difference between life and death.

Andrew Mutch: According to the ICMA report, the transport vehicles were used very infrequently and provided a slower response time than is possible with an SUV vehicle. The transport vehicles are also much more expensive, taking dollars away from needs in the fire department that could be better utilized on personnel, training and other equipment needs. I would need to hear a compelling case why retaining the transport vehicles would be preferred over the alternative of SUV style vehicles and using the savings to upgrade fire staff and equipment.

Wayne Wrobel: NO! By implementing this proposal, the fire department would lose the ability to transport patients if required. The fire department would also lose the additional space to carry additional tools and supplies that may be required. The current vehicles also provide additional space to transport emergency personnel as required as well as providing firefighters with a place of refuge at an incident site.

Cheryl Csordas: No, no and no.

Laura Lorenzo: While in the year 2000 I may have supported asking voters if they would be willing to pay more for enhanced levels of service, today – and in the foreseeable future – I do not believe that it would be fair or reasonable to burden Novi residents/businesses with a tax increase. The City, just like households, must live within its means, which is why I believe that the fiscal discipline I offer, to control and prioritize spending is vital at this time.

Andrew Mutch: I was not politically active in that ballot proposal and since I was not holding an elected office at the time, I did not take a public position on that proposal. In the current economic conditions, I would not support taking such a proposal to the voters today. I do not think the voters would support such a request at this time and I do not believe that the city could afford to implement that level of service without additional funding.

Wayne Wrobel: Novi currently has 24-hour ALS service. The question now is, is the existing level of ALS service current being provided adequate to meet the citizens of the city now and in the future? In my opinion, you can never have enough protection, but on the other hand it must be balanced with the cost the city pays to provide it. I would like the city to determine if it makes sense to provide ALS service provided by Novi fire department EMS units and personnel rather than a contracted service.

Cheryl Csordas: I was not aware of that decision. Nor was I aware of any ISO rating for the city.

Laura Lorenzo: I was unaware that the City had sold the auxiliary/reserve fire engine, and therefore, I am unfamiliar with the potential impacts to the ISO rating and homeowners insurance costs. I would not support such an action that would raise homeowner insurance rates.

Andrew Mutch: I did vote for the sale of the reserve fire engine. City administration indicated that this engine was no longer in service so I had no reason to expect that its sale would impact our ISO rating. I would be interested in getting more information on how that sale may have impacted our ISO rating.

Wayne Wrobel: NO! Not to have a back up engine demonstrates the city's lack of understanding about how it benefits the residents of Novi. It potentially puts the citizens of Novi in jeopardy if one of the existing engines is unavailable.

Cheryl Csordas: I have read the report. I agree and disagree with the findings.

Laura Lorenzo: I have read the report, and I support changes that would improve and provide consistent response times and communications, if such changes could be implemented utilizing present personnel and within the City’s current tax rate. I believe that our overall mission, and our common ground, is to protect and serve the citizens of Novi to the best of our ability.

Andrew Mutch: I have read the entire ICMA report. I generally agree with the recommendations focused on maximizing the efficiency of the department, reducing response times, improving quality of service, working towards greater integration between the full-time firefighters and the paid-on-call firefighters and providing an improved work environment for all firefighters. Some of the recommendations would require additional cost-benefit analysis to determine whether they are worthwhile or feasible to implement. My view is that the ICMA report and the recommendations are just that, recommendations to be implemented when and where they make sense and when and where they improve the quality of service to Novi residents and businesses and the personnel serving in the Fire Department.

Wayne Wrobel: In my opinion, I am not very impressed with the study, After reading it I was left with the impression that the recommended changes they proposed were very generic and were probable ones they give to every client. I think the future of the Novi fire department and any changes would be best generated from within, these are the people who know the fire department the best.

Cheryl Csordas: I would like to see the Fire Dept work as one department. Career and Paid on Call working together, side by side as one unit to serve Novi.

Laura Lorenzo: I would prioritize funding for Fire Department services, vehicles, equipment, and critical station renovations/repair, as I did while previously serving on the Novi City Council. I also would strive to foster open communication and mutual respect, working together in the spirit of achieving the common goal of protecting and serving the citizens of Novi.

Andrew Mutch: During my fours years on the City Council, I have worked to provide the money and resources needed to maintain and improve the fire services provided by the Fire Department. For example, in 2007, I worked to get money set aside in the 2007 - 2008 budget for improvements to Fire Stations #2 and #3 (although only #2 was ultimately upgraded with those funds). Looking forward, I will continue to make allocating resources to the needs of the fire department one of my top priorities. While budget dollars continue to be challenged by falling property values and tax revenues, the city must continue to invest in fire department personnel, equipment and facilities for the benefit and public safety of Novi residents and businesses.

Wayne Wrobel: Investigate the feasibility of having EMS units run by the Novi fire department and not a contractor. Do not use the recent ICMA Report and its conclusions as the bible, use it to look at what makes sense for the city to do. Look at the current overall structure of the fire department, to make sure the correct number of personnel is in place at each level of the department to provide the level of service Novi residents require and expect.