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Is it really a true partnership?

The town and the county are on the verge of a brand new regional fire services agreement. At its Sept. 11 meeting, town council voted approval of the 12-page document and county councillors are expected to ratify it at their own meeting on Sept. 19.

The town and the county are on the verge of a brand new regional fire services agreement.

At its Sept. 11 meeting, town council voted approval of the 12-page document and county councillors are expected to ratify it at their own meeting on Sept. 19.

The new agreement, which outlines the responsibilities of each municipality towards funding of the jointly run Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS), service expectations and denotes which pieces of equipment are owned either jointly or independently, is touted by members of the Fire Services Committee as a true representation of a 50/50 partnership.

According to the information package provided to the Barrhead Leader as part of the town council’s meeting agenda, it is understood that each municipality is responsible for the purchase or replacement of any specialized piece of equipment used primarily within their own jurisdiction.

In addition, responses in the county are their responsibility and vice versa.

The only exception would be of incidents occurring on numbered highways, such as Highway 18, which would fall under the responsibility of Alberta Transportation.

So, while the salaries of the fire chief and deputy fire chief, training for firefighters and administrative costs, as well as the cost of maintenance for the seven jointly-owned vehicles would be shared equally, some aspects remain 100 per cent either the town or the county’s responsibility.

An example of this is provided on Page 1A, in the story “Town approves fire services agreement” where it is explained that the pumper tanker unit and a fire truck owned by the county would ultimately be their responsibility were either to need maintenance or to be replaced.

However, kudos are certainly due to the members of the FSC and to both the town and county councils for making in-roads in an effort to engage in a true partnership.

Especially at a time when both municipalities are in the process of a province-mandated arbitration of their recreational agreement.

That being said, if the fire services agreement were a reflection of a true partnership, would not the cost of all things be shared equally?

It is a question we have asked ourselves a number of times.

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