The high number of medical calls fire trucks respond to got a lot of attention during talks on a draft 10-year fire service plan.
During a long discussion at City Council, consultant Lyle Quan fielded questions about how to bring that number down from 36%.
He laid out several suggestions throughout the report, adding that he has spoken with the Fire Chief about meeting with his Superior North EMS counterpart. They’re being asked to discuss whether firefighters should only respond to medical issues if EMS requests their help, as Quan says is done in some communities.
Councillor Mark Bentz voiced his hopes that the fire service won’t continue to send out pumpers to medical calls, noting they are expensive to operate. The report does recommend purchasing smaller vehicles to respond to those calls.
The $90,000 Strategic Master Fire Plan has already been criticized by the firefighters’ union for some of the recommendations being made by the consultant.
The Professional Firefighters Association is against the proposed cuts to services in Westfort, Northwood, and McIntyre wards, along with closing the Vickers and North Central fire halls and consolidating them in the Central and Balmoral area.
The report is expected to come back in February after further public consultation.
