In a list of nine recommendations for changes to fire departments in Simcoe County, most are already in place or don’t apply for Collingwood, according to the fire chief.
A report by Pomax Consulting Inc. commissioned by the County of Simcoe released in December suggested amalgamating some or all the services provided by fire departments to make a more efficient system. Though the consultant report admitted to receiving little information or data to make “apples to apple” comparisons between departments. Still, Pomax claimed its recommendations would save $400,000 in operating costs in a year, and help avoid $20 million in capital expenses by 2031.
Among the recommendations included in the review was the consolidation of fire services where possible.
According to Collingwood Fire Chief Ross Parr, consolidation just doesn’t make sense for the local service.
“Consolidating fire services within the County of Simcoe would be a significant undertaking and, without the available data to support this, would simply be a guess as to whether it would be a cost-efficient endeavour,” stated Parr in a report submitted to council this month.
He added example of other municipal fire services that have explored consolidation of services and ended up keeping their own service.
“Not all fire departments in the County of Simcoe are staffed at the same levels, nor have all councils directed the same level of service,” stated Parr. “Simcoe County is comprised of full time, composite, and volunteer fire departments, with each offering a different level of service.”
Collingwood uses both full time and volunteer firefighters and responds to both fire and tiered medical calls. The department also has full-time staff for fire prevention and inspection.
Parr’s report said town staff don’t see efficiencies or benefits for Collingwood in consolidating with another fire service.
He did, however, see merit in the consultant’s recommendation to share a fire chief between departments.
Parr said it would require “chief officers” in place at each municipal department to assist the fire chief with day-to-day activities.
While the consultant report said a deputy chief wouldn’t be necessary, Parr’s report challenged this, stating legislative and administrative functions for each municipality would require a deputy chief at each department.
To consider a shared fire chief, Parr said, would require a clearly defined reporting structure and expectations, and adequate human resources to carry out the task of managing more than one fire department.
Several of the recommendations made in the Pomax report, according to the chief, are already in place for the Collingwood Fire Department.
One recommendation was for municipalities to contract services from neighbouring municipal fire departments where possible in border areas or for larger fires.
Collingwood Fire Department has mutual aid and/or response agreements with other departments in the area including Clearview, Wasaga Beach, and The Blue Mountains, allowing them to ask for help on a fire and also to assist the other departments for fires in their municipalities. The agreement is negotiated every four to five years and the municipality where the fire occurs is billed for any outside fire department assistance. The Collingwood department is also part of the Simcoe County Mutual Aid Fire Agreement.
The consultant review also suggested municipalities should be getting fire department data and information to answer the question: “why are we doing what we’re doing.”
Chief Parr’s report noted Collingwood Fire collects and reports data through a local system (no county involvement), which is then used to make public education and prevention campaigns and initiatives to mitigate further incidents and create efficiencies.
Another recommendation from the review suggested municipalities should complete an analysis of needs complete with response modelling and incident type before building a new fire station.
The review suggested that fires in an area might help justify a new fire station, but sometimes medical incidents are also used to justify a new station. The report stated that fires are becoming less prevalent and it’s possible medical calls will follow the same downward trend.
Collingwood has one fire station on the town’s west side (High and Third Street).
Parr said building a second fire station in Collingwood would hinge on growth in the east end of town.
“The fire service is an ‘all incident response’ service and at no time were fire or medical responses the sole focus on the need for a fire station,” stated Parr in his report. “More importantly, other factors that were, and in the future will continue to be, considered include response times, demographics, availability of firefighters for response, growth and modernization, Fire Department needs, station location to arterial roads and centralization within the response catchment area.”
Parr added a decrease in fire and medical responses wouldn’t eliminate the need for new fire stations in areas of growth.
The consultant’s review also recommended a collaborative approach to training for firefighters who work at departments across the county, something Parr said is already happening.
Innisfil already has an Ontario Fire Marshal certified regional Training Centre, and Barrie Fire has announced it will be opening a training facility. Collingwood Fire Department already determined these two options provide an efficient, affordable, and effective choice as a modern training facility.
Staff’s recommendation was for council to receive Parr’s report and have Collingwood Fire and Emergency Services continue with its current delivery model. The recommendation was supported unanimously by the corporate and community standing committee, and will be before council for final approval on March 21.
