Penticton Fire Department escapes cuts
STEVE KIDD - Fri Feb 22nd, 2013 9:00am
Members of Penticton’s Fire Department are resting easier after the results of a six-month review of the department’s services were released this week.
“They were a little nervous, they didn’t know what was going on,” said Fire Chief Wayne Williams. “They didn’t know what to expect out of the review and after what had happened out of the core services review to the city.”
City manager Annette Antoniuk said none of the 24 recommendations outlined in the report are expected to result in staff cuts. Unlike the core review conducted by the city in 2010, which did result in layoffs, this review was to look at whether the department was operating efficiently and areas where efficiency could be improved.
“It wasn’t about putting cuts in, it was about providing better service to the people of the community and the delivery,” said Mayor Dan Ashton. “It’s not that there isn’t good service, it’s the delivery of that service and whether there are improvements that can be made.”
Recommendations range from revamping the city’s false alarm bylaw and controlled substance property bylaw to better put the cost of fire department responses on to property owners to modernizing operations at the fire department.
The review also supported the fire department’s role as first medical responders, but suggested that the department provide the city with a more detailed breakdown of the costs associated with the program. Williams said that they budget $10,000 annually for first responders, which account for about two-thirds of the annual call volume.
Another recommendation focuses on upgrading the department’s training facility and programs.
Read on at the Penticton Western News