A study of how the fire departments in the villages of Pelham and Pelham Manor and two other municipalities could use a regional approach to provide better services is “still in the proposed funding stages,” said Pelham Fire Chief Robert Benkwitt III.

The voluntary project that could also include Larchmont and New Rochelle would come come at no cost to the participants, said Benkwitt. “At this time, there is no timeline,” said Benkwitt. “It would have to be approved, bid out and information gathered. Once completed, it would be reported to the (village) board and made public.”

The Village of Pelham Board of Trustees on Jan. 24 approved participating in the effort. The project would be an update of a study done in 2009 by the Michaelian Institute for Public Policy and Management at Pace University.

There are some key differences between this study and the one done in 2009, said Benkwitt. While the 2009 project looked at ten departments, this research would be narrowed to the four communities, with the possibility of including others at later dates.

The 2009 effort looked to consolidate equipment and reallocate stations, whereas the proposed study would investigate utilizing a regional model to provide better service for the four communities, said Benkwitt. The regional model would focus on the four departments working together, he said. North Hudson Regional Fire in New Jersey is a nearby example of this type of approach.

If a new model were to be adopted, it would allow the departments to meet the staffing standards of the National Fire Protection Association, said Benkwitt. These include assigning all apparatuses with a minimum of one officer and three firefighters, as well as having a minimum of 17 firefighters on scene for a house fire and 30 for an apartment fire. A regional approach would allow for more advancement opportunities and hiring from a larger pool of applicants, said Benkwitt.

Larchmont Fire Chief John Caparelli said, “I am excited for the possibility of offering better services to our residents in a collaboration with neighboring departments. The mutual willingness to assist each other in a time of need already exists. Taking the next step as the study suggests, makes sense.”

Pelham Manor Fire Chief Michael Greco said he did not want to comment on the study.

There would be major issues in implementing any plan resulting from the research, with the largest being funding. The logistics would be difficult because it would involve multiple government agencies.

“I don’t know if I will see any of this come to fruition during my tenure,” said Benkwitt, but he is “interested to see the 2009 (study) updated.”