OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A shrinking fire department in Johnson County, Kansas, will pay two growing departments to operate its day-to-day services beginning the end of November. The fire chiefs involved in the deal said people in the area should expect as good, if not better, service as a result.
Thursday the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners approved a plan years in the making to have Johnson County Fire District #2 pay Fire District #1 and the Overland Park Fire Department to handle emergency calls in the southeastern part of the county, in Spring Hill and in parts of northern Miami County.
“We realized the day was going to come where we probably couldn’t function on our own anymore because of the loss of territory,” explained Fire District #2 Chief Jim Francis.
As Overland Park grows and annexes property in the south, Fire District #2 has lost its tax base. The district will remain in place solely as a taxing jurisdiction.
It will pay for equipment and the salaries of roughly 20 new positions in Overland Park and roughly 20 with Fire District #1. More than 40 Fire District #2 employees will transfer to those departments when the contracts take effect Nov. 28, 2021.
“Our firefighters see the value in this because it does finally bring stabilization to their jobs where they don’t have to worry about losing their job because of the loss of revenue in the fire district,” Francis said. “In many cases, it’s better pay and benefits.”
Chief Bryan Dehner of Overland Park and Chief Dennis Meyers of Fire District #1 said ensuring firefighters making the transition feel welcomed and keep their rank, pay and benefits was an important part of the merger.
“Dealing with the employees is probably the hardest part of that [merger] and just trying to be fair with them, nobody goes back,” Meyers said. “As far as getting on firetrucks and putting fires out, we all know how to do that real well.”
Taxes will not go up for residents within Fire District #2’s jurisdiction as a result of this merger.
Dehner was most recently involved in a merger when Overland Park took over operations for Merriam in 2014. He said a merger is a cultural change, which isn’t taken lightly.
“When it comes to mergers, one thing we’ve identified is the leadership and courage it takes for a fire chief — in this case, Chief Francis — to bring a plan like this forward," Dehner said. "When you decide to sell the family farm, there is a lot of anxiety and concern and hand-wringing that comes from that. He deserves a lot of credit having the vision for this and working through this."
Overland Park is currently building a new fire station near 175th Street and Quivira Road. Upon completion later this year, the department will close Fire District #2’s station at 190th Street and Lackman Road.
