There have been many discussions over the years about the unification of fire services in parts of Greater Victoria. Now, that idea is now getting some renewed attention as Saanich’s fire chief has prepared a report recommending the district council begin the conversation with Esquimalt, Victoria and Oak Bay about what this could look like, and what it could be accomplish.
Chief Michael Kaye will be asking for the mayor to work with his counterparts on a collective approach in a recomendation to be introduced at next Monday’s (April 29) council meeting. This could mean anything from strengthening current initiatives to joining forces in a more formal way.
“This is a baby step on Monday night to see if Council still has this as a priority,” said Coun. Colin Plant in a phone call with Black Press Media. Plant had drawn attention to the report on his X account.
“I hope we do,” he added.
Plant said he has strong feelings on the subject as he would like to see actual unification of the four fire departments.
Currently, the four departments operate with mutual aid agreements, allowing shared services that mean each department can meet response standards that may not otherwise be possible.
“But those mutual aid agreements are something that has to be negotiated and have to be renewed,” Plant said.
A more fulsome integration of the departments would allow for better purchasing power for equipment — thereby saving money — as well as better response times to fires accross district lines, according to the councillor.
“The benefit to me is making sure that we have the safest and most effective fire services available to residents in the region and in Saanich,” he said.
The motion as it is being presented by Kaye does not necessarily take a position on this. It simply calls for council to provide a direction on the issue and coordinate with other municipalities because it was included in the strategic plan for 2023 to 2027.
That plan called for Saanich to “support regional efforts to unify the four core fire departments to better serve residents.”
Esquimalt Fire Chief Matt Furlot said that although he supports mutual aid efforts, including those aimed at strengthening cross-boundary response and increasing purchasing power, he doesn’t see full amalgamation as the way forward.
“It seems like that could be a quick solution, but really I think it introduces a whole bunch of more problems,” he said.
He did acknowledge the four fire departments need to pool resources at times, and it is advantageous for them to work well together.
“Every department in the greater Victoria region could possibly be faced with an incident or multiple incidents that would drain their resources and you need to rely on your neighbour’s help,” he said.
Furlot said there are ways to work better together that are already being worked on, including some initiatives that have been successful elsewhere in the province, such as efforts to create a dispatching system that allows for the closest fire department to respond to a call even if that call is from a different municipality.
“Those are great questions and conversations we’re having actively now,” he said.