MOOSE JAW – Local fire dispatching services in the Friendly City are now a thing of the past.
Fire emergencies will now be answered by a provincial call centre in Prince Albert.
The layoff notices were handed down Friday at noon.
“We’re a little taken aback by it. Surprised and disappointed,” said Gord Hewitt, president of Moose Jaw’s firefighters’ association. “Our biggest concern is ‘how is this going to affect our service’?”
Fire Chief Rod Montgomery says residents shouldn’t notice a difference.
“If you phoned 9-1-1 a week ago, you went to the provincial call centre, and then they would forward it to us. Then you would be interrogated again.”
Now, instead of speaking to a local dispatcher, platoon officers will be dealing with dispatchers in Prince Albert.
“Other centres, Estevan, Wheyburn, are using this exact same technology. We just thought it would be a good fit for the city of Moose Jaw,” said Montgomery, who added local staff only received an average of two emergency calls a day.
He says one of the benefits will be the sheer number of lines available at the provincial centre, so nobody should be placed on hold in an emergency.
“The provincial dispatch centre is staffed with seven people at minimum as opposed to just our one.”
Four full-time and one part-time dispatcher lost their jobs as a result of the move, three of whom have held their positions for over 20 years. They will all be receiving a severance and one will be hired back to help with daily paperwork.
“It’s a tough decision, a difficult decision. It’s a very emotional time for everybody,” said Montgomery.
The firefighters’ association questions whether someone unfamiliar with the city will be able to accurately direct trucks.
“A lot of times callers identify places by a landmark, something that people around here know. Local dispatchers know that stuff,” said Hewitt.
He is also concerned about the motivation behind the decision.
“I don’t see how safety is improved from moving local dispatchers to a provincial dispatch centre 3.5 or 4 hours away,” he said. “It looks like a money issue.”
Moose Jaw Mayor, Deb Higgins, confirmed the decision will save about $360,000 a year, but said costs were not the driving factor.
“The problem we have is the technology is getting old here in our call centre.”
Higgins said it’s about improving service to residents: “They’ll be able to text 9-1-1 and for hearing impaired people there’s that accommodation.”
Things like computer aided dispatch and GPS services are expected to be brought in by the end of the year, according to the Chief.
“The technology that we can access through the province certainly would be cost prohibitive through the city of Moose Jaw.”
Comments