A broad comparison of the delivery of emergency services before and after amalgamation.
Amalgamation of the Elora and Fergus Fire Departments primarily took place in 2003 three years after the municipalities of Fergus, Elora, West Garafraxa, Nichol, Eramosa and Pilkington amalgamated.
In 2003 the Fire Department budget was approximately $944,250 and now in 2012 it is approximately $1,480,000 , so what has changed?
Our staffing levels of our part time firefighters has been increased to 25 to 30 per station from 20 to 25 per-station in Fergus and Elora in 1999. We now have full time staffing which includes a Fire Chief, Training Officer, Fire Prevention Officer and an Administrative Assistant. Don’t let the job titles fool you. Full time staffs have many other duties that are required to keep the fire department running and prepared to meet the needs of our community.
In 1999 the fire department revenue was $, 8,000 and now the 2012 revenue is projected to be $85,000.
In 1999, the two fire departments responded to 345 emergencies. In 2011 both stations responded to a total of 366 calls.
Over the last nine years the safety and training of our firefighters has increased significantly. Old and out-dated equipment such as self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), firefighters’ protective clothing, emergency apparatus, high angle repelling equipment, thermo imaging cameras, heavy rescue equipment are only some of the items that have been updated to meet provincial and federal regulations. The two fire stations now share resources. The expanded tax base has created the opportunity to purchase and upgrade better fire rescue equipment.
The training of our staff now makes Centre Wellington one of the best trained departments in the Province of Ontario. Prior to amalgamation no firefighters met Provincial Standards, now all our firefighters are certified to Provincial Standards.
It is of my opinion as the Fire Chief of Centre Wellington Fire & Rescue we could not deliver the high level of service we do today without the amalgamation and the pooling of resources. In 2011 our cost for services was $ 53.08 person, the second lowest in Wellington County and the lowest cost when utilizing seventeen other comparable municipalities of similar size to Centre Wellington.
Prior to amalgamation the rural areas of Pilkington, Nichol, West Garafraxa and Eramosa did not have any guaranteed Fire/Rescue Service which lead to the residents being charged the highest rate of insurance premiums.
With the creation of the Township of Centre Wellington all residents now receive the same level of fire protection for the same cost. Since amalgamation, we have obtained a “Superior Water Tanker Shuttle Accreditation”. This rating by the “Insurance Service Advisory Organization” reduces the fire insurance premiums to all the residential and some commercial buildings that are more than 1000 ft. from a hydrant and less than 10 miles from a fire station.
Many of the rural area residents should have seen their fire insurance rates reduced as much as $200 annually due to our water tanker shuttle service.
Prior to the amalgamation, there was no regular Fire Prevention or Public Education regarding fire safety. The Ontario Fire Protection and Prevention Act requires all municipalities to provide this service. Centre Wellington is now in compliance with the Act.
As the Fire Chief for Centre Wellington and with the support of the Senior Officers and Firefighters, the delivery of our resources has greatly improved since amalgamation. We are now better able to serve all the residents, businesses and the visitors to Centre Wellington in a cost efficient manner. There should be no question that the services provided today by our Fire Department, has significantly improved when compared to the past.
