Big meeting Thursday night at the Elks Hall between, Administration, Fire departments and Rescue.
The press release is available on the municipal web site regarding Emergency and Protective Services.
Note: Another chance to voice your opinion on this issue http://www.crowsnestpasspromoter.com/
Here is the way it was explained to myself.
There will be a Director of Protective and Community Services hired, basically a replacement for the former Director (Cam Mertz) probably cost the community a little more money due to the expanded duties of the position.
Under that position will be a Manager of Protective Services/Fire Chief I am told that this will be another new full time position. (You are not going to fill this position for less than $80,000 a year, plus a pickup, computer, clerical support etc etc.)
Under that will be a Deputy Chief which I am told will still be a volunteer position.
Then from there the municipality will be broken into two areas West (Coleman + Blairmore) and East (Hillcrest + Bellevue) each will have a District Chief. So the four positions that used to be fire chiefs will now be replaced with a West and East District Chief.
Then there will be a rotation put in place (Emergency Response Model Deployment) which will for example in the West have Coleman providing coverage for week 1 and 3 each month and Blairmore providing coverage in week 2 and 4 each month.
Once again the way it was explained to be is each squad will have a minimum of five people on call during its turn in the rotation.
My opinion of where this is going. The Fire Departments have always been a very hot potato here politically. I was told a long time ago that the politician that stood up and demanded fire departments to be closed would be committing political suicide.
So how do you achieve that goal with out a huge back lash. First of all you bring in a consultant to look at your protective services. (Politicians love consultants, they have somebody to blame for their actions other than themselves).
Then you come out with a recommendation that says you could better serve the municipality by having two areas of coverage instead of the present four. In reality, you will only have one fire department in each area at any given time because in the East for example Hillcrest will provide coverage in week 1 + 3 and Bellevue in week 2 + 4.
Any of us that have been privy to the numbers will tell you that there are very few fires in the East end of the community, in a year the argument will be made that the East as been provided ample coverage with one department. Due to the fact that there were very few incidents and you have only one fire department covering you at any one time. Nobody will speak up in the west because their departments will not be touched at that time.
In essence the fire departments will do such a good job of providing coverage that they themselves will prove that you can get away with one department on each side of the municipality. Even our former Mayor stated in a strategic planning meeting that some where down the road there would only be two fire departments one on each side of the slide.
I hope that the municipality will maintain the fire coverage it requires, I also hope that there is going to be long term sustainable funding found to pay for another new position.
52 comments:
How much do you want them to cut? If my memory serves me right, Fernie pays their fire department $2-3 million annually for a professional fire department, whereas we pay around $200-300 thousand for our volunteer fire department.
John Prince
John my preference would be see them not creating more positions. At a cost of roughly $60-70,000 each, also another bylaw officer that is going to cost the community "nothing". I will believe that when I see it.
I wonder how the Fireman feel now about change???? All I heard after the last election was how bad the last council was and how we had to give this one a chance.Better the devil you know then the one you don`t. Change change change!!!!! All for the better they say. Ya right.
The firemen have taken a strong stand, and made their postions clear. We are about to see who was all talk, council or firemen.
So which two fire chiefs do you think will get flushed?
Finally some change, should've happened in 1979.
WOW Big Change WOW
Dean, if you are going to change your posts while at the same time also adding to them after people like myself have already commented,I think you should let people know by informing them of this fact.
- JP
John sorry about that I did state that I would confirm the post. My source on this one gave me the story with the out come in their mind not where they are starting today.
I will mark it up as a lesson learnt and once again you or anybody else that felt misled, you have my apology.
Could somebody explain to me where is the change.
Other than hiring one more person, keep building that empire
Larry
Well evrybody who thinks we will have four fire departments five years from now put your hand up.
My question are, how will any money be saved? how will we receive decent fire coverage.
Cliff
"The firemen have taken a strong stand, and made their postions clear. We are about to see who was all talk, council or firemen."
What is the position of the firemen?
I want to see who the Herald supports Council or the Firemen?
Do you back your supporters from years past, or do you back the ones that cut the check?
So where are the savings?
The savings would be in closing the Blairmore and Hillcrest firehalls, and having the Coleman firehall become the west emergency response zone and Bellevue firehall become the east emergency response zone. Less halls, less trucks = more savings. Shorter parades also.
I heard the council is about to announce their strategic plan. I missed the debates/discussions council had, arriving at their plan. I cannot find anything about it on the municipality web site. Dean,could you point me in the right direction please? Where can I find the minutes for these debates and the meeting just held with the fire department? Thanks Dean.
4:35
Don't be so stupid if they closed Blairmore who would do Thunder in the Valley.
Way Too much money involved for the Town to take that risk.
8:35
I have also looked for information on those debates/discussions. Your right there is nothing on the municipal web site. None of these meetings were advertised for the public.
The only way I can suggest that you could attempt to get this information is to go to the municipality and request it through FOIP which will cost you $25.
Going back a year and with the above in mind I would think about all those statements made during the election campaign regarding "open transparent government".
The other thing I would draw your attention to is the large amount of business being conducted "in camera" you can check that out in the council minutes.
So why are they pissing around get rid of two departments now and have it done with.
Who is going to pick the two district chiefs? will it be decided by length of service? qualifications? let the firemen vote?
Or will they commission a study so that they can write a policy on this.
Its almost comical on the Municipal web site they are running an ad looking for a volunteer fireman for the Bellevue Department. We the taxpayers also paid to have it ran in both of last weeks papers.
Why?
Dean, did you attend the meeting with administration and fire department? How did it Go?
No I did not have spoken now to four people that were there and they all told me the same story.
Dean what I can not understand after reading the article in the Herald. Which talks about paying for a fire chief, an honourium for all members. Plus an expectation that five people are going to be on call 24/7. How the hell are we going to pay for all of this?
Larry
8%, 9%, 10% Its only money folks.
Dean you are talking out of your arse you will never see two fire departments in the Pass.
The firemen are the cog that keeps the engine running. Look at all of the things they do for this community.
Dave
Dave
Could you list all the things they (firemen) do for this community?
So each department presently has 20firemen 10 of which are expected to be on call for seven days at a time. How does anybody working 4 on 4 off committ to that?
Maybe this whole plan is about providing "better" coverage but when the firemen won't or can't it will become their fault that the two firehalls were closed!
Final question how are they going to pay for this?
Keith
Why don't we have fire/rescue fire department(s) like most communities? That would save some money and have allot better service. In allot of communities the volunteer fire fighters have decided as a group not to accept the honorarium they receive and that money goes back into the fire/ rescue department.
I like the quote you put on your page from Councillor Gallant regarding taxes. Go back and look at his comment on duplication of services and you will figure out where he is going on this issue.
Max
The former Mayor told me a couple of years back that it costs the town about $350,000 a year to run the Fire Departments. By my math thats roughly $90,000 per department. Would it not cost more than that to hire a fire chief?
Wayne
Dean In the Promoter today CAO Robins states that there are about 3 times the number of firemen normally found in a town of our size. Yet he also states in the article this is not about closing Firehalls.
?????????? If today we have 80 firemen in a town which should have 25-30 how do you keep four firehalls open with 6 people to each firehall?????
Cut out the crap it is about shutting firehalls. Be up front and tell us that.
Wed 10:04 you have to be kidding me.
All the things firemen do in this community.
For starters:
Save lifes, homes, businesses etc. By putting there own lifes at risk.
Put on Thunder in the Valley the largest tourist draw we have.
Raise money ever year for MS and many other worth while charities.
The Blairmore Tea for the seniors.
Plus assist many other organizations in their fundraisers events.
Thats just of the top of my head.
Ya, the fire department which is made up largely of municipal employees and masons does wonderful things for our community like being there for the Maplevue Hall and Border Building materials fires (sic).
Mike
Good to see you commenting, very much respect your opinion. I am a little surprised that I am not hearing more people like yourself speaking up around town
I agree 100% with what Mike Chambers has said. Its a shame that our Mayor and Councilors has decided that they are going to pick on a group of volunteers to try and save a few dollars. If they want to save a few dollars do the honourable thing and not take any wages for the remainer of their term. Show the people of the Pass that they are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Its funny that a certain newspaper editor haven`t organized a town hall meeting about this. How do keep the press quiet? with newspaper ads.
Director of Community services/Protective Services ($$$$)
Fire Chief ($$$$)
Deputy Fire Chief ($$$$)
Honouriums ($$$$$)
Increased Wages ($$$$)
Tom the only way to pay for all of this is less Fire Departments or increased taxes.
Take your pick
Don't the people on the fire departments and rescue get paid.... not really volunteers.......
"... lets go after all the people that grew up in this community and especially the ones that have volunteered to help make it better."
Have you people really volunteered and have you really made things better for all, or just for yourselves? I think an argument can be made that your group has contributed significantly, with your support of the previous mayor, to the dire straights we find ourselves in today. What I am saying, in spite of what you say, is the reality of our situation is that self-serving groups in this community, such as yours, are responsible for most of our ills.
"You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig".
JP
Attacking food banks, thrift stores, walking trails and empty buildings Mike?
Getting a bit too emotional maybe?
Can't help but notice,lots of angry firemen leave posts here, but they do not sign their names.
Mike a lot of people in this community are agreeing with you regarding the fire department issue.
Not with your position on attacking everything else thats the wrong approach.
Direct your anger to where it should be aimed, at the people that are doing this.
Your elected council, the voice of change, remember?
Lets not lose site Mike that you have a tremendous advantage over the rest of us.
We can write comments on blogs, facebook etc all day long.
But you have the opportunity that most of us don't to take a stand in black and white that goes into 4500 homes between the Pass and the Elk Valley.
Speak loud and speak clear.
Send the people that made this decision a clear message "you are wrong and the taxpayers know it"
Wayne
Wayne, why don't you use your full name? Is it because you are a long-time resident, municipal employee who is also on the fire department? Encouraging another of your ilk to use the 'rag' to further your aims of 'maintaining the status quo', at the expense of the overall community is diamentrically opposite of where this community should be heading. But what else is new with your kind i.e. the self-serving selfish ones, who are responsible for the mess our community finds itself in. snafu
JP
JP who are you? Stop I do not care who you are.
Use what ever name you want your opinion is yours and my opinion is mine. This is a place to share opinions not names.
No I do not work for the town and I am not a Fireman.
Yes I know alot of firemen. Where I am coming from? is I feel the fire departments do a very good job.
If this council can show me that this is a necessary cost cutting measure I would better understand. But from what I see and hear they are only going to increase costs.
At least thats the way I see it.
Wayne
Wayne, you are right. Who I am doesn’t matter... although; I am known as a Prince among men. :-)
Reducing the fire department makes sense. What we’re paying is peanuts compared to places like Fernie with their professional fire department. So whatever increased costs are required to make the transition means very little in the bigger picture to me. Besides, its time. Many of our guys are over weight and up there in years. If any of these guys had to fight a real fire with all that entails I wonder if they could do it without injury to either themselves, or others, and/or financial costs/liabilities to our municipality?
btw/ I, too, think the fire department as is does a good job. I’m not saying anything different. Except that nothing lasts forever and its time to get leaner and better in all we do. Therefore, I agree with what is being proposed and implemented and hope this community is fortunate enough at the end of the day to retain our best.
With the above in mind, respect must be shown to our fire fighters... as they are us.
JP
JP So how does it make sense to reduce the fire departments by spending more money?
For arguements sake lets say that we agree the number of fire departments should be less. Good lets drop down to two departments.
But if the municipality is not saving money why why why? Where do we gain? With less departments and less fire fighters will we have better coverage?
This issue is confusing the hell out of me. Please explain and make some sense of this to me.
Wayne
Wayne, I think it can best be explained by way of efficiencies. Haphazard coverage and management has been the problem here. Fewer buildings, manpower, and fewer pieces of machinery and equipment (duplication) in the long run will probably save the municipality lots of money.
If you think back Wayne, I’m sure you will remember as it wasn't long ago when we went through a period of a number of years when we didn't even have a fire chief. I mean how chaotic and irresponsible can you get when 5,500 peoples lives are at stake? No, we need some professionalism by way of both management and organization.
From what I know of this plan the municipality is bringing forward, it make sense to me. I only wish they would have gotten the firefighters to buy in beforehand by making them part of the process, rather than excluding them with a from what I understand has been a top down approach, that has resulted in only alienating, embittering and frightening the very ones who we expect to put their lives on the front line in protecting us, our homes, and businesses. They don’t need anymore anxiety than what they already have with the job they do on our behalf.
Our guys should have been part of the process. They weren’t. That was wrong. They deserved more respect.
JP
Anonymous said...
"... lets go after all the people that grew up in this community and especially the ones that have volunteered to help make it better."
Have you people really volunteered and have you really made things better for all, or just for yourselves? I think an argument can be made that your group has contributed significantly, with your support of the previous mayor, to the dire straights we find ourselves in today. What I am saying, in spite of what you say, is the reality of our situation is that self-serving groups in this community, such as yours, are responsible for most of our ills.
"You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig".
JP
My COMMENTS ON THIS STATEMENT: I think the days of saying "people born here and volunteering" are very obsolete. Who cares. Everyone here pays taxes the same, and want the best bang for the buck.
Where did all of Mikes comments go?
I don't know I assumed that only the owner of the blog could delete messages
Post a Comment