The city enters into a long-term fire contract with the village for the area, including Carrier Circle and I-481

DeWitt, NY — Local councilors voted unanimously Wednesday to end its decades-old fire protection agreement with East Syracuse in a large area of ​​DeWitt that includes Carrier Circle and parts of two major highways.

The vote came after a heated meeting in which East Syracuse fire department staff and supporters condemned the decision and warned the move could endanger public safety.

Starting Jan. 1, the DeWitt Fire Department will take over the area that includes more than 2,000 homes, Carrier Circle hotels and parts of the New York Thruway and Interstate 81.

That means, among other changes, DeWitt firefighters will physically take over a fire station at 148 Sanders Creek Parkway, just east of Carrier Circle. East Syracuse firefighters have answered calls there for nearly two decades.

DeWitt will also bring its own fire engine to the station, as the one there is owned by East Syracuse.

DeWitt Town Supervisor Ed Michalenko touted the move as a money saver, saying DeWitt fire could do the job for $400,000 less next year than East Syracuse could.

The DeWitt Fire Chief confirmed to syracuse.com today that the city department can handle the additional emergency calls.

But at Wednesday night’s public hearing, Supporters in East Syracuse accused Michalenko of orchestrating a takeover of their territory after failing on his longtime desire to consolidate the two departments. They wondered if DeWitt had the staff to take over a second station by the New Year.

The move is a huge blow to the East Syracuse Fire Department. In 2023, about 80 percent of East Syracuse’s 1,187 calls were on the north side of the city, the part DeWitt covers. The department’s coverage area will now be reduced to the village itself, operating from a station on North Center Street.

Dozens of village volunteer firefighters who live on the north side of town are unlikely to join the DeWitt department, village Fire Chief Paul Haynes said at the meeting.

“You’re going to lose all these firefighters,” he warned before the vote.

Taxes for homeowners and businesses in the affected area will increase next year. This would have happened regardless of which department provided the service, Michalenko said.

The exact amount of the tax increases was not discussed at Wednesday’s meeting, though Michalenko said he wants a formula that would make hotels and businesses pay higher rates than homeowners. Carrier Circle hotels alone field several hundred fire calls each year.

The reason for the tax increase is that fewer volunteer firefighters are available than in years past, meaning more paid personnel will be needed to maintain fire protection.

Under the current agreement, the city pays the village about $1.4 million for coverage.

East Syracuse has requested about an additional $1 million for next year, Michalenko said. Village officials said the money would help modernize its operations and hire eight full-time firefighters to supplement its roughly 40 volunteers.

That meant East Syracuse was asking for a total of $2.4 million for one year of coverage.

DeWitt said his department could do it for $2 million, Michalenko said.

Thursday, DeWitt Chief Jason Green told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard department would also hire eight new full-time and several part-time firefighters to staff the north station. Right now, his department has 20 full-time, three part-time and two volunteer firefighters working out of the station on East Genesee Street at Erie Boulevard East.

Green noted that there will be a transition period, but expressed confidence that he will be able to staff the second station with existing staff until more firefighters are hired.

The chief said his department did not seek to take over part of the East Syracuse district — the city asked for a proposal from him.

As for whether the East Syracuse Volunteers might consider joining DeWitt in the New Year, Green said he doesn’t know.

“It’s a personal decision that everyone has to make,” he said. “I totally understand how loyalty works in the fire department.”

Writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at [email protected] or (315) 470-6070.