Local fire chief Dan Callaghan will be getting more time to do his duties.
At a special meeting of council on June 6, councillors here approved an increase in hours and the purchase of a 4X4 support pick-up truck.
The decision was made after speaking with the local fire chief as well as Centre Wellington fire chief Brad Patton.
Patton is also Wellington County’s fire coordinator and offered a county perspective on vehicles, response times, usage and responsibilities of a local fire chief.
Councillor Deb Callaghan declared a conflict of interest on the truck and the following closed discussion.
In his introduction Callaghan said Patton also writes articles about volunteer fire fighters and volunteer fire services for various fire fighting magazines.
Callaghan said the meeting was scheduled for an hour and there was a lot of material.
Patton said, “Almost every station in Ontario has a smaller, pick-up style vehicle, used for everything from hauling dirty hose to transporting additional firefighters to and from fire scenes.”
He said in long duration calls, firefighters may have other pressing commitments, so as more volunteers become available at the station, the support vehicle provides an avenue to bring fresh firefighters to the scene – “and not using an emergency frontline vehicle for transportation.”
He also cited the use of the support vehicle as a command vehicle and said, “Communications are a huge problem on the fire ground. Messages get missed, the scene is loud and noisy. It is difficult for the incident commander on the scene to be walking around with a portable [communicator] or staying near the pumper truck to hear the important messages as they arise.”
He said in Centre Wellington and a few other municipalities the incident commander is required to be in a vehicle with doors closed and windows up so he can watch the scene and clearly hear radio transmissions going back and forth.
He cited recordings taken during incidents where there have been fatalities of firefighters. “There have been four or five mis-transmissions of firefighters needing assistance, command is busy and misses those important calls. Communication is a very big issue.”
Patton said a support vehicle can also play a different, but important role. He cited relatively minor calls that do not require the department to send out a half-million dollar truck.
“As one of our mechanics said at one time, its like sending a cement truck to deliver pizza.”
Patton said a light duty vehicle reduces wear and tear on the fleet. “It is quicker and safer, for people to go out and do their job – especially when all you need is a couple of guys.”
He said there is a real problem in Ontario and most of Canada with people using personal vehicles for work.
Patton contends it is a misrepresentation of a person’s car insurance since it is being used for business. “We’ve totally gotten away from having firefighters drive personal cars to fire calls. It creates problems on the scene for parking.”
Patton said Centre Wellington has four support vehicles. The trucks are easily usable for 10 years and still worth quite a bit of money when it is time to trade them in.
He said spreading out the cost of a $35,000 vehicle is not that much over that period.
And when it comes to cost, “We are so fortunate to have a municipal tendering process. I personally wish I could get a vehicle for the same price we get them through the tendering process,” Patton said.
Mayor Lou Maieron said when there is a call in Centre Wellington for such things as medical assists, there is already an ambulance bay in the town to respond – most of the time – unlike in Erin. Alluding to the issue of firefighters often being first responders to calls, Maieron asked if there is any way to attract off-duty paramedics.
He asked if there are fire departments that have such people already serving who can assist.
Patton said Centre Wellington has three paramedics.
And he agreed, “They are a huge benefit in a lot of scenarios if you know where to utilize them.”
Maieron asked if there are any paramedics serving locally.
Callaghan said there is at least one at the Hillsburgh and Erin stations.
Maieron said if only two or three people are needed and 15 show up, it adds to the costs – because in Erin, volunteers are paid for the first hour.
Patton said “There are a lot of pluses to having a quick responses. If a call comes in and we are on duty, we take the call.”
The individual drives to the scene and evaluates it. If the person on scene realizes not everyone is needed, the call can be cancelled, Patton said.
Councillor Barb Tocher said Centre Wellington has a duty roster for its volunteers – something Erin does not have.
Patton said those who are assigned response support vehicles will use them on a regular basis.
Maieron asked who might use such a vehicle.
Patton said in Centre Wellington it would be the fire chief, training officer, fire prevention officer or deputy chief.
“When we get to the scene in the daytime, we do the size up and then decide whether to cancel incoming crews,” he said.
Daytime hours are the low staffing time for the department said Patton. With considerable challenges for the volunteers to leave of work, during the day “the quicker we can get them back to work, or home, is quite a benefit and cost savings for the town.”
Maieron asked what the downside is.
Patton did not see one.
While the move would add another vehicle to the fleet, “I think the benefits far outweigh any negatives.”
Councillor John Brennan was concerned with a burnout factor, with firefighters being called, then being told to go home before even reaching the fire hall. “I don’t see how you get around that.”
Patton said if a call comes in, someone arrives at the scene, and, if no additional help is needed the call can be cancelled. “We’re finding in many cases, the call can be cancelled before even two or three men arrive at the station.”
He said medical assist calls do not require the same type of response as a fire.
Tocher said in Erin’s case, there may not be any savings in responses for the first hour, but there might be in not having to deploy larger equipment. “It is not just about manpower, there are costs in the wear and tear of equipment.”
Callaghan said the quick response vehicle on site with the incident commander, can give the station warning what response or equipment is needed.
Tocher said her concern is where a support vehicle would be stationed. “Is it going to be where it is needed to be when the call comes in?”
Or, she asked, would it be stationed according to a duty roster, so it is not just staying with one person or location. She said that would mean two fire stations, but only one support vehicle. “Most of the time, it’s not going to be stationed at either department.”
Maieron asked Tocher if that meant she supports buying two trucks.
She responded, “If you can get two for the price of one.”
Patton said with most departments, the fire chiefs take the truck with them and respond directly from home to the calls. “But certainly, you can look at any deployment model.”
He agreed the vehicle may not always be in the best location all of the time. But that could be said of the location of an aerial truck, he said.
Brennan suggested the best option would be to have the truck with whoever is on call, for immediate start.
As for having the vehicle in the best location all of the time, Brennan said it always going to be an issue with a municipality the size of Erin.
Callaghan said in his experience, he’s often beaten members from Station 50 [Hillsburgh] to a scene simply because time is required for the firefighters to get from their original location, get ready at the fire station, then head out.
“Most of the time I beat those trucks, and I am driving within the law.”
He did note, however, the idea of having duty rosters has not been explored in Erin.
Patton said that under the Ontario Fire Marshall’s definition, Centre Wellington is still considered a volunteer department because there are no full-time firefighters. However, in that department, the fire chief is full time, as is the training officer who acts as deputy chief, a fire safety officer, and an administrative assistant.
Patton said there is a duty roster system, where five individuals at each station are on call for a given week. When that person is on call, “the only excuse for not responding to an alarm is when you are at your regular place of business working regular hours.”
Those people are paid to be on-call and part of the agreement is to remain within a certain radius of the fire hall.
“It’s an interesting model,” Maieron said.
Callaghan warned council not to have a false sense of security, because if the on-call firefighters are at work during the day, they might not be able to respond.
He said, “Most guys respond because it’s their duty and it is why they are volunteers. We’ve never had a response problem.”
Callaghan said, “What we are trying to do is eliminate the nuisance calls by having this first response utility vehicle.”
Tocher said one item to consider is a duty roster for an initial response. “We don’t want our fire chief burning out either.”
Brennan said he thought that was always the intention.
Callaghan agreed that is the general idea – to involve the captains and those with instant response training.
“So it would not be you on call all the time,” Brennan said.
Maieron asked if having a support vehicle puts more work on the fire chief.
Patton said, “In my view it makes it easier, because it gives him the tools he needs to do his job.”
He said legislation is clear the fire chief is ultimately responsible for the actions of the fire department.
Patton said while council might set service delivery standards, “At the end of the day, if something happens it will be council and the fire chief who will be answering the questions.”
Patton indicated the more tools that exist to do the job the better it is.
“It just makes sense,” he said.
Fire pickup truck approved
Callaghan said $33,000 had been requested for the truck and it was passed in the 2012 budget. “It is sitting there, waiting for this meeting.”
After an in-camera session, councillors authorized the fire chief’s hours be increased by four to 28 hours per week, as reflected in the 2012 budget.
Council approved the purchase of a pickup truck for the department at a maximum of $33,000.
Tocher offered a friendly amendment that the fire chief be authorized to begin the tendering process for the truck and that passed.
