Fire departments in Arthur and Mount Forest could soon come under one name.
The issue was raised by Wellington North Mayor Ray Tout at council on Monday evening.
He said council should consider “branding” to place its two fire departments under one name to reflect the community they serve.
Currently, the departments are known as the Arthur Fire Department and the Mount Forest Fire Department.
Tout said other municipalities have already changed the names of their fire departments. For example, the West Grey Fire Department name is on all vehicles in that fire service, whether they operate out of the Durham, Ayton or Neustadt fire stations.
“Everything else would remain status quo,” Tout added, referring to the operation of the separate departments in Arthur and Mount Forest.
Councillor Dan Yake also urged council to consider hiring one full-time fire chief to oversee both departments. Currently the Arthur department and Mount Forest station have separate fire chiefs serving on a volunteer basis.
“The two chiefs now are looking at more paperwork and more regulations,” Yake told council. “I think it’s time we investigate one [full-time] chief and two fire stations.”
“I think it’s long overdue,” the mayor added.
In a related matter, the Mount Forest department recently increased the number of firefighters from 21 to 23 to ensure enough firefighters are available when some of the volunteer firefighters are at out-of-town jobs.
Meanwhile council deferred adopting a 2011 fire safety requirements draft report governing festivals, special events and licences for those events until more discussions can be held.
