A “made in Deep River” fire service delivery model is just around the corner.
The new model will result in an estimated 38% reduction in operational costs and save taxpayers between $650,000 and $850,000 a year after the three year transition period.
Mayor Suzanne D’Eon says the previous fire service model was hard to sustain for a small town like Deep River.
D’Eon says for several decades, the fire hall has been staffed with two full-time firefighters around the clock with additional support provided by CNL since 2017.
A transition started October 17th, 2022, for fire services in Deep River that will see a full-time Fire Chief, four full-time staff and 24-fully trained volunteer firefighters.
The goal is to have a fully integrated composite fire service model in place by June of 2023.
Mayor Suzanne D’Eon says the Deep River department will be one of the first in Ontario to have a fully certified composite fire department.
The Town of Deep River says while this model is expected to increase initial emergency response time, it will be more than offset by the increase in the quality of the response.
Initial response times for fires will increase by five to ten minutes during non-business hours, however the town says the response will be substantially more robust with a range of five to ten qualified fire staff responding.
You can learn more about Fire Services in Deep River on the Town’s website.
(written by: Rudy Kadlec)