Despite the unfinished business of reorganizing some of the city’s fire stations, Halifax’s fire department is pushing ahead with its fire service review.
A request for proposals issued in December calls for a review of the department’s fire response times and the by-laws that give the department its overall mandate.
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The review of fire response times will evaluate the fire department’s ability to meet its current standards, and will recommend whether changes should be made to response times.
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Current response times:
- Urban areas with more than 100 people per square kilometer: response standard is six minutes from the time firefighters are alerted to the call to arrival on scene, 90 per cent of the time.
- Rural areas staffed by volunteers with a population less than 100 people per square kilometer: response standard is 17 minutes, 90 per cent of the time.
- Rural areas staffed by career firefighters: response time is 12 minutes, 90 per cent of the time.
The review is needed in part because the city doesn’t have a clear idea of how often its meeting its rural response times and what the variance is for how long it takes firefighters to respond, said Spokesperson Brendan Elliott.
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Councillors approved the funding for a report on Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency’s services and response times in March 2015.
The tender also requires the winning company to develop a phased in implementation plan for the recommendations. The tender closes next week and the full report is due back in March of this year.
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