Butler County residents should pay close attention to the discussion ahead over whether the county should be divided into fire districts.

If implemented, the plan would carry a cost for property owners, and possibly even for nonprofit agencies or groups not currently paying municipal real estate taxes.

The fire districts idea, still in its infancy, has many uncertainties, but it’s important for residents to closely follow any upcoming discussion and suggestions. The information voters gather along the way will be crucial later in helping them decide whether to approve or reject the proposal, if a voter referendum on establishing a district or districts is held.

While a committee of the Butler County Fire Chiefs Association will study the fire districts issue and make recommendations, the state government eventually would be charged with creation of a county-level fire authority to oversee the districts, including making determinations regarding funding.

According to Mark Lauer, Fire Chiefs Association president and a Unionville volunteer firefighter, the chiefs committee will weigh whether the county should be divided into, say, five or six fire districts that would be operated by a mix of paid and volunteer firefighters.

Such a setup would ease the personnel shortages some volunteer fire departments face during emergency calls at certain times of the day, and quicken response times.

But the plan is destined to spawn suspicion among some county residents, especially those who reside outside the city of Butler, that at least some of the motivation behind the plan is to save paid-firefighter jobs in the financially strapped city.

The day is not far ahead when the city, in order to avoid state fiscally distressed status or bankruptcy, will have to make major changes, including in the fire department, especially the way the department is staffed.

The fire districts plan could save paid-firefighters’ employment if the financial burden of their pay and benefits is divided between the city and a group of municipalities they otherwise would serve.

For municipalities outside the city, the question will be whether they support helping to fund paid firefighters who now are compensated solely by the city.

In the opinion of Lauer, the county is “on the edge of a catastrophic failure of the (current fire department) system” if something isn’t done soon.

“We’re not getting qualified people during the day because everyone is gone during the day,” Lauer said. “They are at work.”

According to Butler Fire Chief Nick Ban, under the fire districts plan “we would have not only paid part-time and volunteers in the departments, but we would have dependable fire coverage.”

According to Ban, the authority that the state would establish would have the power to tax at what he described as a minimal rate of about 1 percent, to which nonprofit groups would not be exempt — a similar situation as with water and sewer authorities.

For Butler County, the fire districts plan would be a radical departure from the way fire protection services currently are organized. On the surface, the plan has good points, but questions understandably will focus on money issues.

County residents’ close attention and open-minded consideration will be required.

The certainty going in is that the proposal will come with a cost. However, the financial obligation might be a bargain when stacked up against the new system’s ability to respond quickly and save lives and property.

Personnel from fire departments across the county must prepare themselves to be messengers — to relay information to people in their communities as clearly, completely and accurately as possible.