Contract fire chief proposed for Wellington North

by Kris Svela

KENILWORTH

A Wellington North councillor wants to see a rapid response to the hiring of a contract fire chief in the township.

Councillor Mark Goetz urged council at its meeting Monday evening to move ahead with his proposal to hire a contract fire chief, expected to cost between  $55,000 and $70,000 annually.

The fire department, which was recently renamed Wellington North Fire Services to reflect amalgamation, has two volunteer chiefs for its stations in Arthur and Mount Forest.

Goetz, who is chairman of the fire services committee, maintains the hiring of a chief would further the amalgamation effort and save the municipality money. He also said training of firefighters on new provincial regulations would be easier with a contract chief.

“Wellington North currently operates two fire departments which have never fully integrated since the municipal amalgamation of 1999,” Goetz wrote in a report to council. “When reviewing fire services in other similar municipalities, a number of missed opportunities to improve community protection and reduce costs appear to be available to Wellington North.

“I believe the most effective way to achieve this complete integration is with the appointment of a single fire chief for the entire municipality. Employing a part-time chief (25 hours per week) appears to be adequate to meet our current needs and begin to move us toward the goal of full integration. Savings realized through integration could more than offset the cost of employing a fire chief as a staff position.”

Council did consider hiring a full-time chief at a cost of between $80,000 and $100,000. Currently the township pays between $25,000 and $30,000 annually for its volunteer chiefs.

With a contract chief, Goetz said, further savings could be realized.

“Currently, to renew our pumper fleet with two stand alone fire departments we would need to replace a pumper truck in the next couple of years,” Goetz said in his report.

“Simply by redistributing the existing pumper trucks between stations in an integrated fire service we would be able to defer this $500,000 purchase for up to 10 years without changing fleet size or capability. This would still allow us to maintain the generally accepted standard of only having a front line pumper not exceed 15 years of front line service. This change alone could result in the equivalent of a $50,000 per year savings for the next 10 years.

Council approved the recommendation and instructed chief administrative officer Lori Heinbuch to prepare a job description before the position is advertised.

Goetz told reporters he hopes a contract chief could be in place by November for a two-year period. The time would allow council to evaluate the job within its term before the next municipal election and decide whether a full-time fire chief is a better option.

July 27, 2012