FALL RIVER: Making Station 45 in Fall River a 24/7 career station is long overdue, the local councillor said, but it will only be a success if the current volunteers put any anger they have to the side and help make it a smooth switch.
Steve Streatch was speaking a couple days after HRM Fire Chief Ken Stuebing made a presentation to regional council on Dec. 7. It included a recommendation to investigate a business case on making the station, which currently sees volunteers provide coverage on weekends and overnight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Monday to Friday. Career firefighters cover the weekday time.
The recommendation came from a POMAX Report which detailed response times, and that included coverage at the Halifax International Airport. It’s focus was on the buildings at the airport and not on the runways itself as those are covered by Airport Fire. The estimated cost mentioned at council was $1.6 million.
“When the report came to council, it was all encompassing,” said Streatch in an interview at Good Day Cafe. “It spoke to a number of issues. It spoke to response times throughout HRM, and it spoke to needs not only here in Fall River but our coverage area.
“By putting fulltime firefighters in the Fall River station and by adding a Quint aerial truck we will be able to provide quicker turnout and response times.”
The tipping between volunteer and career firefighting requirement is 100 people per square kilometre. Fall River is at 210 people per square kilometre.
“We are well past the point that we should have been dealing with this,” he said.
He said the volunteer firefighter component will still be needed at the station.
“I want everyone to know this is in no way an affront to the volunteer members,” said Streatch. “They have been not only an asset to the Fall River and surrounding area, but indeed to HRFE.”
Streatch acknowledged that Enfield Fire is closer to the airport than Station 45, however they are not “part of the firefighting force in HRM.”
“We have a great relationship with our fire colleagues in Hants East, and a mutual aid agreement with Enfield, but at the end of the day the protection of the Fall River Corridor and more specifically the airport buildings is the legal responsibility of HRM Fire,” he said. “These are moves we have to take to fulfill our obligations to them and the community.”
He said HRM can’t rest their laurels on talk and rumour a new station may be built when the Aerotech Connector goes in. It’s not satisfactory to do so.
Streatch said with 24/7 career on site at the station, one of their aims is to get to the airport in an eight to 10 minute time frame—including 60 seconds out the door from the time a call is dispatched to the time the first truck leaves.
He is hopeful any differences between the volunteers and career firefighters will be put aside.
“I hope that everyone can work together for the greater good and public safety,” said Streatch.
Station Chief Nick Yeomans commented on the change. He said the station is currently a composite station with E-platoon covering during the work days and volunteer crews on evenings, weekends and holidays.
“As for the decision by HRFE to do a business case and the financial implications with that, I support the decisions made by HRFE’s Chief Stuebing,” he said.
He said this will be a significant change for the volunteers as they respond to all calls after career staff have gone home for the night.
“The volunteers will still respond to calls as usual, but will play more of a support role for most calls,” said Yeomans. “The career staff could possibly be tied up at a certain call, so the volunteers would respond to any other calls that come in during that time. Training will remain intact.”
He said as one would expect, the volunteer firefighters are disappointed at the prospect.
“Moral is down a little bit currently but no major decisions have been made yet by council,” he said.
Streatch recommends the professional volunteer firefighters at the station continue with their training and eye becoming one of the new career hires for Station 45.
“I recommend they aspire to be one of those career firefighters at the station and within their community,” he said. “The experiences they have gained is not only an asset to them and the fire service.
“I think there are opportunities for many of the volunteers to move into careers within the fire service.”
He said even with a deficit being projected and tough decisions ahead for HRM regional council, Streatch believes public safety will win out during budget debates to make this move doable.
“I’m confident staff will find the ability to fund this for the greater good,” said Streatch.
The final decision on the recommendation will be made during budget talks in early 2019.