Rocky View County officials’ decision to reduce fire service staff on each shift and halt firefighter response to non-emergency medical incidents will “result in less than industry standards,” according to Lorne West, International Association of Fire Fighters 6th District vice president.
“This is alarming and concerning and I can assure you, it will not be safe for residents,“ said West.
“Rocky View County residents should know their fire service is badly misguided and mismanaged. It is tragic and sad and frankly it’s pathetic.”
County officials announced on June 6 in a press release that fire services will undergo “a number of planned changes to the operations aimed at enhancing response times, adapting to changing needs, and reducing the impact of dramatically rising costs.”
These cuts come after seven full-time firefighters and one chief fire marshal were laid off on Feb. 29, 2012, as part of the County’s restructuring process.
Rocky View County’s General Manager of Community Services Ted Gard says the review of County Fire Services began with safety in mind.
“We were looking for more efficient ways to provide service, but public safety and the safety of our firefighters is paramount.”
Reeve Rolly Ashdown said the County has no intentions of doing something that isn’t safe.
“I can tell you the attitude and idea is not to compromise safety,” he said.
“The idea is to have a fire services that works within budgets and gets the job done.”
The press release states the County began a process to rationalize fire services in early spring after it became clear that costs are continuing to escalate. According to the statement, the price tag for fire service in the County has risen by as much as 600 per cent over the past 10 years.
“The substantial cost for what is essentially a rural fire service caused us to look at the value that was being added for our residents and our community,” Gard said. “In some cases, such as attending a house fire, the value is obvious. In other cases there was little or no value, such as sending a fully-equipped, fully-staffed fire truck to back up paramedics treating someone with a broken arm.”
Even with the changes, the County’s $7.3 million Fire Service budget will rise by close to $1 million this year, primarily due to increased union staff costs, said County officials.
West said he is surprised to hear the County blame the increased costs on the union because during negotiations in February, the County did not provide any counter wage offers.
“I have never seen an employer just agree to our first offer in the 40 years I have been doing this,” said West.
“It’s somewhat suspicious of them to blame the union for this cut of services. Firefighters are willing to put their lives on the line everyday and the only reason they needed a union in the first place was because they were working in unsafe conditions.”
Gard said the County has been negotiating in good faith with the local fire union since 2010. A part of that negotiation has been numerous discussions and proposals on salaries and benefits, he added.
“For the union to suggest that it was unaware their salary demands would create difficulties for the County is completely disingenuous,” Gard said in an email.
The County’s contract with the local fire union is currently under arbitration, however, once awarded, the contract will expire at the end of 2013.
The County has implemented changes to three main areas of service including the introduction of two emergency response vehicles (ERV), no longer sending firefighters to non-emergency medical incidents and reducing staff on each shift to a fire captain and three firefighters, instead of four.
The ERVs will be used instead of larger fire trucks to “enhance response times and reduce the unnecessary use of fully-equipped fire trucks,” according to the press release. According to Gard, the new costs of the ERVs are approximately $15,000 for each of the two units. Rocky View County is repurposing existing vehicles that were in use for other purposes.
Each ERV unit features basic fire apparatus plus automatic defibrillators and other first-aid equipment. ERVs will both patrol the County and respond to calls. They will not replace full fire trucks, but will reduce the number of times the large, vehicles are deployed.
“The Emergency Response Vehicle approach puts Rocky View County at the forefront of fire protection for rural communities in Canada,” said Gard. “It’s an innovative approach, but based on ideas that have been tested and proven throughout North America.”
Gard called the use of ERVs a “more effective use of existing staff.”
He says all the changes will save the County approximately $4 million over the next three years.
West said the implementation of ERVs and changes to the response to emergency calls is “smoke and mirrors.”
“If you have a certain number of firefighters on duty anyway, wouldn’t you rather have them attend emergency calls and help out than sit in the firehall?” he asked.
Gard said attending “low-value calls” takes firefighters away from their primary job, and adds no value to the service the taxpayer receives.
“If a firefighter has time to attend a low-value call, such as a broken arm where paramedics are already in attendance, it’s an indication we have too many staff, not too few,” he added.
According to Gard, the County’s plans were reviewed for safety by a former independent fire chief and past official with the International Association of Fire Fighters union.
West said he finds that highly unlikely.
“No experienced official would agree to these staffing levels,” he said.
West added the minimum threshold of staff to fight a fire safely is five: two inside the building, two outside the building and one manning the truck, making the changes proposed by the County below industry standards.
Gard said Rocky View County’s proposals meet or exceed the guidelines set out by the Canadian Fire Protection Association.
In fact, Rocky View County will have a higher level of firefighter staffing per shift than our surrounding communities (Airdrie, Cochrane, etc.), he added in an email.
“The number of firefighters on a truck or in a hall has little bearing on the number of people needed for any particular incident,” he said.
“Other alarms are sent in if more firefighters are needed, and they respond from neighbouring stations.”
Gard said the most recent changes will not be the last as the County will need to restructure the fire department as it continues to grow.
A new fire station will open in Bearspaw in 2014, and there are two additional stations in the planning stages.
“Rocky View County is facing a significant challenge in how to best structure and resource our fire department,” Gard said.
“The costs increases are even more concerning when you consider that half our county is served by volunteer firefighters who cost us very little.”
The County’s Landgon, Madden, and Irricana stations are crewed by volunteers, while the Springbank, Balzac, and Elbow Valley stations are staffed by paid unionized firefighters.
“In looking to the future, we have a number of hard decisions to make about how we resource and grow fire services while continuing to ensure public safety, firefighter safety, and a responsible level of County taxes,” said Gard.
“What we’ve announced today will not be the end of changes.”
West said he will be looking into “legal remedies” regarding the changes.
