Shaker, University Heights Close to Emergency Services Agreement

An agreement to share emergency services between the cities of Shaker Heights and University Heights is close, according to a press release from Shaker Heights.

"We certainly worked effectively with University Heights and the managed to really talk about a lot of the financial issues and the management issues and I think we’ve come a long way," Shaker Heights Mayor Earl M. Leiken said.

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The new fire department would be governed by the mayors of both cities, Leiken said. The Shaker Heights-University Heights Fire Department — a name the mayor used but said had not been decided on — would work under a single labor agreement. All of its workers would become employees of just one city, most likely Shaker.

Susannah Muskovitz, counsel for both the University Heights and Shaker Heights firefighters unions, said that membership was "extremely surprised" when they got notice today that the initiative would be on councils' agendas in the coming weeks.

"The city's decision to move ahead without them is troubling," she added. "They have made it very clear to the mayor and city council and the administration from day one that they want to be part of the process, that they have a lot to offer, that if they're are excluded from the process it could cause problems."

Muskovitz added that the memorandum of understanding is silent on issues of seniority, rank and the concerns that are foremost for the firefighters. And in especially in University Heights, employees are anxious that they will lose their jobs in the merger.

"There has not been any successful consolidation of fire departements in our region, and so this would be the first if it were successful — and I think it has every chance of being successful — and it can be a model for other communities," Leiken added.

More on the Shaker-University Heights Emergency Services Merger

The following was a statement issued from the city: 

The cities of Shaker Heights and University Heights, participants in a fire service consolidation feasibility study conducted in 2012, are now preparing to take the next step: preparation of an agreement to create the Shaker Heights-University Heights Fire Department.

The two cities will form a Council of Governments (COG) with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which lays the groundwork for the agreement. The MOU is attached to this release and posted at shakeronline.com and universityheights.com. Shaker Heights Mayor Earl M. Leiken and University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld would form the COG’s Board and would be responsible for, among other duties, selection of the Chief of Fire for the consolidated fire services as well as oversight of both the fire stations and the delivery of fire services and emergency medical services (EMS). The cities would share the cost and revenues of the consolidated department based upon a percentage of their populations as determined by the 2010 Federal census.

The MOU designates the employees who provide fire and EMS services as employees of the City of Shaker Heights and indicates that they will be subject to a single labor agreement approved by Shaker Heights City Council and the COG Board.

Mayor Leiken and Mayor Infeld hope to present the completed agreement to their respective councils for public comment and approval according to the following schedule:

Shaker Heights                                 

February 11 at 7 pm,                        

February 25 at 7:30 pm                                  

A date to be set in the first part of March (three readings required)             

University Heights

February 19 at 7:30 pm, Council Chambers, 2300 Warrensville Center Road

March 4 at 7:30 p.m.

(two readings required)