HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-10-04, Page 26The days of the Wingham and
Blyth fire area boards may be
numbered.
Jamie Zimmerman, the fire
protection advisor from the office of
the Ontario fire marshal attended the
Oct. 1 meeting of North Huron
council to discuss the current set up
for fire protection delivery.
With two separate departments
and two boards comprised of
different municipalities, the current
method of delivery is “complex”,
said Zimmerman.
He explained that fire boards have
become an extra layer of
government that can be difficult to
deal with. “You have a uniqueness
with each agreement. Council needs
to do its homework before coming to
any decision.”
Zimmerman said that many
municipalities now have fire
agreements in place and have found
them to be the “optimal” way of
providing fire protection services. In
this situation, North Huron would
serve as the host municipality,
contracting services to other
municipalities.
Even if council decided not to
dissolve the boards, Zimmerman
said that the current agreements
should at least be updated to reflect
what’s going on with the service
levels today.
Councillor Murray Nesbitt
wondered if getting rid of the boards
would mean a change in boundaries.
Zimmerman answered that council
would no longer be bound by
anything. “There is no cap to what
changes could be affected,” he said.
Also, “the host municipality has
more effective control with an
agreement and the chief is ultimately
responsible to council. Right now, he
is responsible to a fire board of three
or four councils,” said Zimmerman.
Clerk-administrator Kriss Snell
clarified that the change would mean
North Huron departments are only
responsible for the geographic
boundaries of North Huron. Other
municipalities currently served by
the departments could choose to
contract services from other areas.
“Council controls the level of
service provided by its fire
department,” added Zimmerman.
Major purchases, he explained,
could be worked into an agreement
but otherwise would be left to the
host municipality to determine when
to buy.
“There are also a lot of things to
consider under fire boards, control
that would have to be dispersed,”
said Zimmerman.
Nesbitt asked if the message being
conveyed was that fire boards are a
thing of the past.
While some municipalities still
have them, Zimmerman said, “Our
take is that they are quite
cumbersome and don’t deliver the
optimum level of service.”
He added that while there are
places where the boards are working
well, many municipalities are
currently exploring other options.
The fire marshal’s office will
facilitate any discussions and
Zimmerman would serve as advisor.
“I’m here to assist in any way. The
only thing I won’t do is make the
decision for you.”
Councillor Greg McClinchey
asked the two fire chiefs, who were
present, to share their views on the
future of fire service in the township.
Blyth’s chief Paul Josling said he
believed there would be one
department with three stations.
Neither he, nor Wingham chief
Harley Gaunt felt that there would
be full-time firefighters in thedepartment in the near future.“We’ve got a lot of younger blood,really keen, really dedicated.”
While it was noted that no one was
upset with fire service in the
township, the current method of
delivery was another issue.
“Master fire planning would put
that in place,” said Zimmerman. “It
would make sense for North Huron
to have one fire chief. In the long-
term I would recommend we take a
look at that.”
Zimmerman said that there have
been many complex changes in fire
delivery service in the past 10 years
and it’s expected that could double
in the next 15. “The public
expectations are clear. They want
up-to-date fire service.”
Zimmerman said a master fire plan
could be put in place for North
Huron that would offer a form of
blueprint towards amalgamation.
A dissolution of the fire boards
could take several years or happen
fairly quickly, said Zimmerman. “It
depends. Dollars and cents does a lot
of talking for a lot of people,” he
said.
“I’d advise your staff to begin
getting recommendations on exit
clauses.”
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PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2007.Fire bds. under scrutiny
Onus Portamus (We carry the load)
Officer Cadet Brendan Pierce, formerly of Blyth, was
posted to 8 Wing/Canadian Forces Base Trenton for the
summer months. From delivering supplies to the high
Arctic to airlifting troops and equipment world-wide, 8 Wing
is the heart of Canada’s air mobility forces. Daily flights to
the four corners of the globe tie this community into the
mainstream of international events. Most personnel and
equipment deployed to places such as Afghanistan pass
through Trenton at some point. The CC-130 Hercules is the
workhorse of the air force’s transport fleet, hauling freight
and personnel throughout Canada and the world. Given the
number of taskings they are called to perform, Canadian
CC-130s are the most heavily used Hercules aircraft in the
world. (Photo submitted)
Recognition
It was a special night for the Brussels Optimists as two of the club’s members received life
memberships. Making the presentations to Dave Stephenson, left, and Brian Deitner, right
was the lieutenant-governor Kevin Loughlane. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
By Bonnie GroppThe Citizen