Puslinch councillors have given the go-ahead to proceed with issuing an RFP to retain a consultant to develop a master fire plan for the township at a cost of about $44,000.
Council endorsed the idea on June 4 following a presentation by Puslinch fire chief Steven Goode and deputy chief Josh Shepherd.
Shepherd explained the recommendation to council was that it hire an outside specialized consultant to assist the township in the development of a fire master plan.
The report states, “Over the last 46 years of providing excellent fire protection service to the Township of Puslinch, the fire department has maintained a very high level of expertise, service and safety for our community.
“Part of this service has been the continual re-assessment of the risks and needs of our township as a whole and adaptations to equipment and training were made accordingly. Fueled by growth and change in our township, it has been decided to develop a Master Fire Plan (MFP) to newly and fully identify the potential risks and needs our community contains and the responses they require.”
Shepherd said, “Once this has been created with the initial work, then internally staff can maintain this as a living document as changes occur within our township.”
He said the arduous initial task lends itself to bringing in a specialized, unbiased person with the needed expertise in legalities and risk analysis.
As to the financial implications, Shepherd said $29,000 of the cost would be directly recoverable through development charges, while the remainder would come through the township levy and is included within the 2014 budget.
Shepherd agreed staff could attempt to develop the master plan on their own for about $7,000, but anticipated additional costs would likely be incurred to bring in experts or opinions on various aspects of the plan. He noted the report was discussed at the fire committee level before being brought before council.
Councillor Susan Fielding said, “The more I thought about it, the more I realized how important it was to get it done right and get the most professional advice we can.”
Councillor Ken Roth agreed that “while the cost was a bit more, it will be more beneficial in the long run.”
