By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 04, 2008
Okanagan Landing’s volunteer firefighters claim they have been ignored in a city restructuring process. A draft strategic plan for the City of Vernon fire/rescue services was created in January, and it recommends doing away with the Landing department as a separate entity and placing paid firefighters at the hall. The Okanagan Landing Fire Department Association didn’t see the report until last week and was not part of its development. “We feel like we’ve been left out in the decision-making process,” said Ed Forslund, Landing chief. The Landing department has been in existence for 33 years, and when the area was annexed into Vernon in 1995, the association entered into a contract to provide the city with fire protection. It continues to operate separately although the Landing and Vernon halls do co-operate. The strategic plan calls for the contract to end and for the Landing to be integrated into the city’s fire service.
“We are stripped of any authority on the ground and lose the fire department we built to serve our community,” said Forslund. Part of the report’s recommendations are based on the time it takes volunteers to respond to an emergency compared to paid professionals, but Forslund says that is misleading because even if full-time firefighters based in the Landing responded, they would have to wait for back-up. “It’s the quality of response that counts,” he said, adding that while his crew is volunteer and many work, they have a quick response time. “When we go, we leave with at least four on the first engine and others are on the way.” “We’re not slagging the professionals because they are an excellent group but we provide an excellent service.”
Forslund is also concerned a shift in fire protection services will increase costs for residents as professional firefighters are paid a salary and volunteers get a small stipend. “We want to be responsible to taxpayers,” he said, adding that the Landing department’s total annual budget is $300,000. Forslund says his department is willing to discuss the report and service levels with council. “We just hope that we will be listened to,” he said. The strategic plan, which covers from 2008 to 2017, is being defended by Coun. Jack Gilroy. “We aren’t trying to get rid of them. They would just be part of the city,” said Gilroy, a former deputy fire chief, adding that volunteers and professionals work side-by-side at the Vernon hall. Gilroy also believes having a single department would standardize training and create efficiencies. “The fastest response time is from paid guys but the public will tell us when to use paid guys. There is a financial burden on taxpayers (with professionals),” he said.
Mayor Wayne Lippert denies the strategic plan will lead to no volunteers at the Landing hall. “Volunteers are an important part of the fire/rescue services. Removing volunteers is not correct,” he said. “We want to give the same level of service and response times to all citizens of Vernon.” No decision on the plan has been made by council. “I support the Landing volunteers, administration and the career firefighters determining the best way to protect our families and community. I expect them to come up with a plan and to give us options,” said Lippert. In terms of the Landing department not being part of developing the draft plan, Lippert says the process was initially limited to the Vernon hall because it does more than fight fires. “Why would you bring them (Landing) in when they’re not involved in services like first responders?” he said. The Vernon Professional Firefighters Association believes integration of the halls would provide the same level of service to all areas in Vernon. “We are the only city in B.C. with two fire services,” said Brent Bond, union president. Bond also insists there is a need for both professionals and volunteers based on the size of Vernon and its financial capacity. “Nowhere in the report does it say volunteers will be replaced by career firefighters,” he said.
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Morning Star Editorial: City's actions sound alarms
You'd swear the City of Vernon ripped a page out of the Coldstream play book when it comes to handling volunteer firefighters. Instead of including Okanagan Landing's volunteers as full partners in reviewing fire protection services for the Vernon community, a draft strategic plan was developed in January with absolutely no involvement from them and they only saw the report for the first time last week. Such a move only fosters alienation and the feeling that restructuring of fire protection is a done deal and the volunteers will just be shoved aside. In terms of the strategic plan, it makes sense for the city to look at the long-term needs of fire protection services including facilities, equipment and manpower. And perhaps 15 years after annexation, the Landing hall should be fully incorporated into the main operations at the Vernon Fire Department. There may even be a case to have some full-time, unionized firefighters at the Landing hall, working alongside the volunteers.
But the city must understand that this would be a dramatic shift in how services are provided, especially when the volunteers have been active in the Landing for 33 years and there is still some resentment about how the area has been treated since annexation. The best way to handle what would obviously be a contentious situation was to be completely upfront and include the Okanagan Landing volunteers right from the beginning of the process. With backs now up and feelings hurt, the city's goal of reviewing an essential service just got more challenging.
