Waterloo region will now have a single dispatch centre to handle all fire calls after an agreement was struck between Kitchener, Cambridge and the local unions.
By unifying the dispatch centres, the cities say this will allow for better collaboration between departments, create faster response times and provide better aid to areas that are on the border between communities.
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“Taking a unified and integrated approach to fire dispatch service within the region will improve community safety and help our firefighters respond to emergency calls faster,” Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry said in a statement.
Prior to the agreement, a dispatch centre in Kitchener handled communications in Kitchener, Waterloo, Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot, while one in Cambridge handled calls for Cambridge and North Dumfries.
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The centre in Kitchener will now handle all communications which include emergency calls as well as direct detect alarms.
Along with the transition to the new technology, there will also be new dispatch technology implemented which will allow fire and Waterloo Regional Police to share data.
A spokesperson for the City of Kitchener told Global News through email that “staff do not anticipate any layoffs as a result of this agreement. Cambridge fire communications staff will have the option to transfer to Kitchener fire, they said.
There were more than 30,000 fire calls in the Waterloo region in 2018.