ENFIELD: Negotiations to reach an agreement for fire service coverage on the Enfield HRM side continue, the local councillor for Distirct 1 HRM (Waverley-Fall River-Musquodoboit Valley) said.
During a recent sit-down interview at a Fall River coffee shop on April 20 (prior to the restrictions being put in place by the province prohibiting dine-in service), Councillor Cathy Deagle Gammon gave an update on the status of negotiations between Halifax Fire and Enfield Fire.
“What I understand at this point is that they’re still negotiating,” said Deagle Gammon. “A tentative proposal was brought forward to Enfield and they’re reviewing it to see how they would like to respond.
“I understand they have responded with some counter proposals and they’re still working through what those might look like.”
Last June, Enfield received a letter from HRM Fire terminating the agreement they had with them, effective Oct. 1, 2020.
That agreement included a payment of $40,000 per year from HRM Fire plus dispatch services.
“At the present time there is no agreement in place, but Enfield Fire would like to assure residents of Enfield HRM that during ongoing negotiations we will provide emergency services without interruption when called,” the letter said.
The letter continues saying “HRM Fire’s current proposed contract contains no financial support to Enfield Fire.
“In the event that such an agreement cannot be reached, HRM Fire will be responsible for primary emergency response to Enfield HRM.”
Deagle Gammon was optimistic that with talks still going something of fruition might come from the talks.
“The fact that its still progressing means both fire services are working together and that’s a positive,” she said. “Hopefully, as long as the conversations are still happening its status quo until such time as an agreement is reached.”
