Latrobe eyes study to boost fire department funding, cut costs

Latrobe may hire a consultant to recommend ways the city fire department can increase revenue while cutting costs.

Council at its June 14 meeting is expected to consider a study proposal for the department from Fast Attack, a consulting firm headed by Mt. Lebanon Fire Chief Nicholas Sohyda.

The firm was recommended by the office of city Solicitor John Greiner and would charge $75 per hour, up to a maximum of $6,000, for its services, according to city manager Michael Gray.

Gray said the idea for the study grew out of discussions he had with Latrobe Fire Chief John Brasile about ways to bolster fire department finances in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.

Brasile said submarine sandwich sales at some city fire stations have picked up after a pandemic-related hiatus, but other fundraising events were canceled. He noted each of Latrobe’s five fire stations conducts its own fundraisers to supplement the city’s annual firefighting budget of $255,000 and an additional $50,000 raised through the department’s yearly fund drive.

With pandemic-related restrictions on public events easing, Brasile said, “Hopefully, we can get back to some kind of normalcy.”

If council agrees to hire the consultant, it would be expected to finish the study over a period of three to six months, Gray said — after taking a tour of the fire stations with Brasile and assessing the equipment at each.

Brasile said he would welcome any suggestions for increasing revenue while noting that the department is seeking a federal grant to help update breathing apparatus firefighters use when entering burning structures.

Gray said the fire study would follow a precedent of similar reviews the city has undertaken for other departments, including its police force.

He suggested the consultant could provide an outside perspective to identify potential redundancies in Latrobe’s firefighting resources.

“Hopefully, we can look at ways to reduce (costs) and take some of the burden off the city’s operating budget,” Gray said.

Sohyda joined the Mt. Lebanon department in 1999 and was promoted to fire chief in 2006. He holds an associate degree in fire science from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor’s degree in fire administration from Empire State College.