After more than a dozen years of smoldering, plans to build a new volunteer fire station in Marion Township soon could get a new spark.

Jere McElhaney, a Douglas County commissioner, is ready to pump plenty of political pressure into what has become a hot issue.

The former volunteer firefighter wants the Kansas Legislature to let township residents “de-annex” themselves from neighboring Osage County Fire District No. 4, a district whose closest station is in Overbrook, about 18 miles from some township residents near Lone Star Lake.

District officials say they have been talking about closing the gap since at least 1991 — and been snuffed out at every turn by a lack of volunteers — but McElhaney says he simply can’t wait for action any longer.

“We’re going to approach them,” McElhaney said, “and say, ‘Here are the alternatives. Do it now. Protect the citizens in Douglas County and Marion Township. And if you’re not willing to do it — if you can’t come up with a solution — this county commission will set up a new fire district.’ …

“This is ridiculous.”

‘We’re stuck’

Among the reasons McElhaney cites as making him so hot:

¢ Firefighters on red alert (6-1-03)¢ Fire chief sounds alarm to fund new station (5-21-03)¢ Petition drive seeks to improve Marion Township fire protection (2-14-02)¢ Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical

• Several township residents have had their homeowners’ insurance canceled in recent months, as companies shirk from holding policies protecting homes that can be as far as 18 miles from the nearest responding fire station.
• Township residents send about $30,000 a year in tax money to the district for providing fire protection, but have yet to see any equipment, buildings or personnel stationed in the township itself.
• Suggestions for resolving the problems — ranging from construction of a new station to adding contracts with other townships to help cover areas farthest from Overbrook — have failed to generate the support needed to get anything done.

County officials have spent two years wading through the possibilities, only to get washed out when various interests face off.

“We can’t reach a consensus on which of the better ways of doing it is the way we ought to do it,” said Craig Weinaug, county administrator. “We’re stuck with the status quo, which everybody agrees is the worst possible outcome.”

All the while, McElhaney said, insurance costs rise, safety risks remain and prospects for reorganization appear remote.

“Nothing’s happening,” McElhaney said. “Nobody’s getting off the wagon to get anything done. It’s now becoming the county’s responsibility … to provide fire protection and life-saving procedure possibilities in Marion Township.”

Looking for help

Walt Bigham, chief of the Osage County district, understands the frustration.

He’s watched for years as the district has tried to sign up volunteers from Marion Township, only to get the familiar results: It’s one thing to show interest, but quite another to commit to as much as six months of training and the resulting demands of service.

“We’ll get a few, three or four people,” Bigham said. “They’ll do it a couple years, and then quit showing up.”

A meeting set up to gauge interest among potential volunteers drew seven people from the township, he said. And that’s more than showed up for previous meetings.

Without township residents willing to volunteer, he said, it simply wouldn’t make sense to spend the minimum of $65,000 to open a station in the township. Bigham figures at least a dozen volunteers would be needed to make it work.

“I don’t know what the county can do,” he said. “We’ll see.”

Bonnie Wiscombe, township trustee, said she was satisfied with the district’s service in previous years.

Having to travel long distances to fight fires is a simple fact of life in rural areas, she said, and does not signal an urgent need for change — even if insurance costs are rising and policies are disappearing.

“That’s how it is,” she said. “Unless you live in town by a fire hydrant, that’s how it is. You won’t get as good of a deal as you will in town, when you have 24-hour, around-the clock service.”

Frank Rhodes, who is township clerk and serves as a township representative on the district’s board, said volunteers would start signing up once they became too upset with the current service.

For now, though, he wishes the county luck in finding an answer to a question that has vexed township and district officials for years: How can residents in Marion Township get the fire service they deserve?

Commissioners are scheduled to discuss the issue today, when they gather at 9 a.m. at the county courthouse to review issues to be addressed during the coming year.

“I think we should all just work together,” Rhodes said. “Why not? We’re all neighbors.”