In what could be seen as a step toward a form of amalgamation, Saanich is testing the waters to see if there is an appetite for unifying the fire departments of the region’s four core municipalities.
Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock has written to the mayors of Victoria, Esquimalt and Oak Bay proposing a discussion about a collective approach to firefighting.
“We should sit down and talk about how we deliver better services and if there’s a way that we can do this as a single service provider or more efficiently,” Murdock said.
The four municipalities already have an agreement that allows each department to respond simultaneously or as required to emergency incidents across boundaries.
“We’re asking: Is there a way for us to take this to the next level? Whether or not we can all become one service, can we get to a point where the closest fire hall responds to a call regardless of which municipality it is?” Murdock said.
The idea is a council-driven one, and part of its strategic plan that identified regional efforts to unify the four core fire departments as a means of improving public safety.
Saanich Fire Chief Mike Kaye told council Monday that bringing the departments together has the potential to save money through economies of scale and equipment-sharing. More importantly, it could also improve safety, he said.
“As we’re densifying Saanich and going more upward, there are a minimum number of firefighters that should be on scene when there is a high-rise fire,” he said. “And with the current staffing that we have with Saanich Fire, we do not have enough firefighters to meet that standard.”
Kaye also pointed out he and the other chiefs already meet and discuss how they can better provide help to each other and share experiences and policies around recruitment and training.
“We are already having discussions about what are the first steps toward working better together,” he said.
When asked if this initiative has the potential to steal some of the thunder from the work of the citizens’ assembly, which is being established to explore amalgamating Victoria and Saanich, Murdock said they saw a chance to act in the name of public safety.
“The citizens’ assembly may have taken a look at this as an opportunity, but our fire department [has said] there are ways for us to improve our response time, our process, and our training and capacity if we work together, and there’s an opportunity for us to start that conversation now,” he said.
