Fire officials working out aid pact details

WATERLOO — An automatic fire aid agreement between Waterloo Fire Rescue and the townships of Wilmot and Woolwich will begin in November.

Politicians were told at a council meeting on Monday afternoon that fire officials need more time to hash out the final details.

In April, Waterloo council approved an automatic fire aid agreement with both townships. A house fire on the city’s border last spring sent a woman in her 80s to the hospital and made many wonder if more could be done to boost response times.

“If we’re going to one side of the street, it makes sense to go to the other side of the street,” Mayor Dave Jaworksy said.

He said approving the agreement was a “neighbourly” thing to do.

Since April’s meeting, fire officials have identified 295 addresses near Waterloo’s borders with Wilmot and Woolwich townships that will benefit from the aid agreement. One of these addresses is a trailer park with about 140 seasonal trailers on site.

Under the agreement, when a fire call comes in or an alarm goes off at an approved address near the border, dispatch will call Waterloo Fire Rescue at the same time as the township. Townships will be charged $1,000 per fire call.

“It is estimated within these numbers that we will be responding to approximately three emergencies on an annual basis,” Waterloo Fire Rescue Chief Richard Hepditch said.

Help from a nearby fire service can already be requested, according to a mutual aid agreement throughout Waterloo Region.

In 2009, a house fire on Wilmot Line killed a couple in their home. Their neighbours came to council on Monday to thank them for pursuing the agreement.

“We’ve seen repeated occurrences where we’ve had to wait far too long in emergency situations where seconds count,” Kevin Thomason said.

He criticized the lack of response from Wilmot Township staff and council whenever he asked about the agreement’s details, and also wondered why the public was not consulted about it. He asked council why more addresses were not put on the list.

“I think this really is a starting point,” Jaworksy responded.

“No better place to start than now.”

The fire aid agreement will be in place until Oct. 31, 2021, at which point fire officials will have a chance to update it if needed.