Fire dispatch uncertainty discussed

Departments waiting to see what Town of Yarmouth’s decision will be

The hope amongst fire departments in the tri-county region continues to be that local dispatchers remain on the job.

But at an Aug. 1 meeting there was also discussion about being prepared in case this doesn’t happen.

Months ago the Town of Yarmouth said it intended to put out a request for proposals (RFP) to explore options for outsourcing the dispatch service run from the Yarmouth Fire Department. As of last week the RFP had not yet been issued.

On Aug. 1 the Municipality of Yarmouth facilitated a meeting that representatives from potentially-impacted fire departments in Shelburne County around to Clare were invited to.

“When the (dispatch) issue first arose, council asked the volunteer fire departments what they needed in terms of support from the municipality,” says Victoria Brooks, CAO of the Municipality of Yarmouth. “One of the items was to provide access to accurate information relating to dispatch service delivery in other parts of N.S.”

Attending the meeting was Jim Roper, president of the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia (FSANS). Part of the information shared surrounded the development of dispatch standards the association and other groups worked on.

In April, the Town of Yarmouth issued layoff notices – for a time yet to be determined – to its four fire dispatchers, saying it would be looking to outsource. The decision was not a reflection of the work done by the dispatchers. Rather, the town said, it was based on what the town called a broken funding model that sees the town and its taxpayers covering a disproportionate cost of the fire dispatch services that are provided to two dozen fire departments in Yarmouth County and parts of Shelburne and Digby counties.

Since the town issued the layoff notices people have passionately expressed their desire to save the dispatcher jobs. There have also been concerns raised by the fire departments and the public pertaining to outsourcing. One concern is over response times and dispatchers from outside the area not being familiar with the local geography and where the closest fire departments are. Roper, who with Brooks met with local media the morning after the meeting, was asked if this should be a concern.

“It really shouldn’t be,” he said, looking to ease concerns. “With the technology available today and the radio systems that are available there should be no difference in the time that call is placed to the time that fire department is paged out.”

Another concern raised surrounds the loss of local knowledge that the dispatchers working here have. What if people don’t, or can’t, give civic addresses or proper road names when calling in an emergency. Is this a valid concern, Roper was asked?

“I think at one period it was. But with the technology with the mapping systems that they have today, it becomes much less of a concern. There will still be issues that arise . . . but I think it can be overcome.”

He notes a critical factor is also ensuring a strong civic numbering system is in place.

But Yarmouth dispatcher Peter Poirier says the concerns are valid ones. He says mapping and technology aren’t always reliable when a fire call comes in.

“I had a call for a fire a couple weeks ago in Shelburne. The 911 operator was arguing with the caller, whose business was on fire, that her address was Charlotte Street and not Charlotte Lane,” he says. “Another example, I took a call for a chimney fire and the person gave me the old road name not the new one. Explain to me how someone from away is going to know this?”

Roper, meanwhile, says it was evident from the meeting just how much the local dispatch service means to fire departments in the region and how much they still want to have local fire dispatchers on the other end of their calls.

“I think that’s the general feeling,” he says. “But if that doesn’t happen, a Plan B is necessary.”

“The fire service is very pleased with the dispatch that they’ve been receiving,” adds Brooks. “But because they’re fire service people, they know the importance of a contingency.”

Brooks says the direction from the Aug. 1 meeting is to reach out to other municipalities to work together in preparing for the future and whatever direction it takes. If the current service remains in place that would be ideal. If there is a change, it is important to ensure as seamless a transition as possible.

“We know our service is at risk,” she says. “Having a contingency is just a responsible response.”