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"My primary purpose was to tell them face to face that I don't feel comfortable as a volunteer fire company to be asked to take over the service of a paid department," Robb said in an interview yesterday. Robb said the freeholders vowed to come up with a written proposal detailing how fire protection at the complex would be handled if the station is closed. The proposal will be submitted to the Blackwood squad for approval. "They're contemplating training and utilizing park police, training part of the staff who would be paid (per response) to respond to calls," Robb said. Neither Castiglione-Degan nor Beach returned phone calls seeking comment. Mayor Sandra Love, who has vigorously opposed closing the Lakeland fire station, said, "I feel better knowing the layoffs are on hold until a real concrete plan is in place." Love said she spoke to Beach after the meeting. Lakeland Chief John Glasbrenner said he was happy the layoffs were delayed, but said, "Is it a delay for a month, six months, a year? Sure I'm happy, but is this going to recur? I don't know what the freeholder has in mind." In December Castiglione-Degan proposed closing the fire station as a cost- saving measure. The five firefighters, all captains, were initially offered reassignments as dis*****ers, but they refused. They were then told they would be laid off soon. No date was set, though. Critics say the fire station is necessary to ensure the safety of residents of the sprawling complex, which includes four hospitals that serve patients who are indigent as well as those who are terminally or mentally ill; shelters for the homeless and battered; and minimum- and high-security detention centers for juvenile offenders. Freeholders have been searching for an alternate fire-protection plan. In the latest meeting, Beach and Castiglione-Degan discussed the possibility of giving Blackwood $100,000 this year and $100,000 next year to buy a new piece of equipment. But the freeholders said Blackwood would only have to serve as backup protection for the complex. Robb said the $200,000 mentioned by the freeholders was a hypothetical offer. "They were wondering if that would change our position on the issue," he said. The effect of the latest proposal on the county's cost-saving plan was unclear. Earlier, the freeholders had proposed paying the Blackwood company, a volunteer squad, $25,000 a year to handle calls from Lakeland. But Blackwood firefighters and township officials opposed the plan, saying the additional calls would overwhelm the squad. Last year the Lakeland squad received 522 calls, of which 306 were small fires and alarms. There were no major fires at the complex. Blackwood responded to 560 calls last year, one if which was to assist at Lakeland. Robb said the additional Lakeland calls would overwhelm his squad. "Even if Blackwood had to respond to 25 percent of those calls, it would be to much," Love said. "What happens then is our volunteers burn out and quit and then we have to hire paid firefighters. You can't put that burden on my firemen." Love said she was concerned how the complex could be evacuated in case of emergency, if the nearest fire squad is several minutes away. Love toured the Lakeland campus last weekend, and said only three of the 30 buildings have sprinkler systems. She also pointed out that many of the residents, who are in detention centers or mental health facilities, live in locked cells or wings. "We really do have a lot of programs here, programs for the most needy. It's scary to me that you'd let all these people be here without immediate fire protection," she said. But Love said she was glad the freeholders were listening to the township and fire district concerns.