The Town of Cochrane and Rocky View County (RVC) have agreed to a new fire services agreement for the next five years, and representatives from both parties are pleased that a deal has been finalized.
Cochrane’s local president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Jared Wallace said that although he was happy to see an agreement approved, the union would continue to monitor the current situation between town and county fire services.
“We will be monitoring to ensure that the fire department's resources are used in the most effective, efficient and safe manner possible,” said Wallace, “and to ensure that the municipal town limits do not create an unnecessary and potentially dangerous artificial barrier to service for our citizens.”
RVC Fire Services chief Randy Smith said the new agreement between the county and the Town of Cochrane is a good thing for residents.
“In prior years, Cochrane actually provided fire service north of the town, but with the Bearspaw (fire) station coming online, things are changing,” Smith said. “We took an opportunity to look at how we can utilize our staff in Rocky View and in Cochrane to be cost effective and efficient and provide the best fire response that we can.”
The new agreement is an extension of the current deal, which will expire Dec. 31.
Under the previous agreement, RVC paid the Town of Cochrane $300,000 per year to respond to up to 200 calls for service within the county. But with the new fire station now open in Bearspaw, Smith said the county would need to rely less on Cochrane Fire Services.
“The new agreement is based on the premise that the closest truck goes,” Smith said. “We’ll respond into Cochrane when needed and they’ll respond out of Cochrane into the county when needed. We put the people where they need to be.”
Wallace said allowing the closest truck to respond to a collision was something the IAFF was in favour of right from the beginning.
“We have always maintained that to provide the best possible service to the public, the closest and most appropriate resource must be sent in an emergency, regardless of which municipality controls the resource,” he said.
Wallace added, however, that the Cochrane department was not yet large enough to respond to every emergency on its own, and that relying on mutual aid partners like RVC was essential.
“At the same time,” Wallace continued, “it is important that we don't rely on outside agencies too much because they have their own priorities to look after and may not be available to assist us, which could cause a delay in emergency response for the town.”
Under the new agreement, fire crews from RVC will receive $22,500 from the Town of Cochrane for up to 30 responses within town limits, and in return, Cochrane will get $60,000 from RVC for up to 80 calls for service in the county.
Calls over the agreed upon maximum – which, according to the agreement, exclude responses to provincial highways, such as Hwy 1A and 22 – would, in both jurisdictions, be invoiced at an hourly rate per apparatus including staff.
“Cochrane needs to continue to invest in a level of protective service that matches the growth of the town,” said Wallace.
Cochrane Fire Services will welcome a new chief, Dave Humphrey, who will replace current chief Mac deBeaudrap Nov. 17.
There are seven fire station in RVC, four professionally staffed and three with volunteer firefighters, according to Smith. Approximately 230 firefighters staff those stations.
The new Bearspaw station officially opened Sept. 6.
