Regional District of Central Kootenay staff are recommending a contract for 911 fire dispatch be extended by one year, but want to look at ways of saving money first.
The suggestion comes in response to a big jump in costs, after an arbitrator awarded a wage increase to Trail firefighters who provide the service.
Local 911 calls are routed through a call centre in Kelowna, and then redirected to different dispatchers depending on whether police, fire, or ambulance response is required.
The RDCK pays over $71,000 for the call centre in a partnership with several other regional districts, and over $457,000 per year for the fire service in partnership with the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary.
The fire contract expires at the end of this year, and further cost increases are projected. RDCK administrator Jim Gustafson recommends negotiating a one-year renewal to fire dispatch, and looking for savings.
“We should open it up to see if there are any efficiencies that can be made,” he said in an interview.
He says it’s worth examining the condition of the equipment, which is now a decade old. “Is it good for another ten? Another two? What’s the capital cost of replacement? Are there any efficiencies we can gain through negotiation?”
If the board is unsatisfied, he says they could try to find someone else to provide fire dispatch for their 18 halls. The RDCK provides 60 per cent of the revenue for the current service, so withdrawing would have a “significant impact” on the neighbouring regional district.
Gustafson adds local fire chiefs need to be kept in the loop, and asked “what’s working well? Are there any things that aren’t?”
The Kelowna call centre contract runs until the end of 2012, and Gustfason says it may be to their benefit to have both agreements expire at the same time, “just in case the world changes and there’s a digital revolution.”
The board will discuss the recommendations at their meeting tomorrow.
