There should be one overriding factor as four area fire departments in the town of Chautauqua discuss a merger – will the merger result in better service for town residents?

At first blush, we have a feeling it will. But there is a lot of work to do to make sure that initial read is accurate.

We start this editorial setting the need for better service as the north star in these talks because, inevitably, a myriad of ancillary issues will arise that seem like they are of earth-shattering importance that are worth keeping the status quo.

As our Gregory Bacon wrote in Monday’s edition, the smaller fire companies in Dewittville, Hartfield and Mayville have relatively healthy numbers of volunteers – but only about half of those volunteers actually respond to calls. That’s a problem considering most of these volunteers have jobs outside of the fire service. Many have families, too. Volunteering at the local fire company on an endless loop because there aren’t enough responding members is a drain on a group of selfless volunteers. Struggling to recruit active volunteer firefighters and EMTs is not a recent problem, but it is a problem that has been papered over by the county’s addition of EMS fly cars. Now, the decline in volunteers is coming up as an issue again because the decline in responding volunteers is again putting many departments at a breaking point.

It’s also worth noting something Noel Gutman, county emergency services coordinator and himself a volunteer firefighter in Mayville, noted about the number of vehicles owned by the Chautauqua, Mayville, Dewittville and Hartfield fire departments. Having them under one umbrella may change the number of vehicles that need to be purchased over time – potentially saving departments some money over time.

Before the county created the fly car system, we were among those saying the decline in volunteer fire department membership meant something had to change. We are once again at that point. The talks in Mayville, Chautauqua, Hartfield and Dewittville will provide a potentially interesting model for other small fire departments to consider.

Our population isn’t increasing, but there are still vital services that have to be provided. That means we have to be smart about the way we provide those services. Four rural fire departments are about to have discussions about a new way of doing so that could provide a road map for the next couple of decades of rural fire protection and EMS services.