Request to toss significant fire dollars from Georgina's 2017 budget

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 18, 2017
By Heidi Riedner

The town’s 2017 budget deliberations have prompted a request to bump any major repairs and new stations for the Georgina Fire Department in favour of examining a regional fire service.

Sutton resident Art Field, who ran for the Ward 4 seat in the last municipal election, has floated the idea of regionalization before. That was part of a request to the Region of York asking it to look into an amalgamation of the region’s municipalities, either in whole or in part, back in 2009.

As part of the town’s public input process during 2017 budget deliberations, Field is requesting Georgina council defer any new construction or major additions for Georgina Fire Department buildings - “pending a full and comprehensive review of developing and implementing a regional fire service for York Region."

Furthermore, Field would like council to make a formal written request to all other eight municipalities within the region to collectively pass a motion at their own councils to support a proposed motion from Georgina to the region requesting a comprehensive review for the implementation of a regional fire service.

While Field’s suggestions would apply to expenditures in the proposed budget regarding matters such as $240,000 for a consultant to design a new $3.2 million fire station in Pefferlaw, as well as significant expenditure in terms of equipment and repair, they do not “negate any minor repairs to buildings, so as to ensure the safety of our firefighters and services for the public in the interim.”

According to Field, a regional fire service would improve services while reducing duplication, redundant overlap and costs to the taxpayers.

“One of the most beneficial cost savings would be developing a comprehensive strategic approach to building new fire halls that are strategically located in proper locations without the influence or hindrance of individualized municipalities and/or municipal boarders, whereby saving millions of dollars in unnecessary construction long term,” Field says.

The idea of a regional fire service has been floated in the past, both at town council and at the region.

A 1997 ARA Consultants Group report, commissioned by the Region of York, as well as the region’s fire services committee review in 2001, demonstrated cost savings at that time in the millions of dollars, and improvement of services to residents as a result of consolidating the region’s eight fire services in to one regional unit.

The idea of a consolidated regional fire service has been bandied about for years, with various municipalities passing resolutions since 2013 requesting the region study the ins and outs of consolidation.

Proponents contend anything with the potential to improve response times, increase available personnel and enhance safety for firefighters and the public should be explored.

Concerns, however, have also been raised over purported savings actually playing out in reality, when it comes to consolidation.

Tiered response, as well as streamlining medical and suppression calls between EMS, fire and police, have also been raised as areas of exploration under a blanket re-examination of fire services.