The city could be getting six new firefighters and some extra revenue if it’s able to negotiate a fire services contract with an unnamed business outside of town, much to one councillor’s chagrin.
Council voted 6-1 Monday night to allow administration to proceed with confidential negotiations to provide fire protection services to a “commercial client located outside the boundaries of the City of St. Albert.”
Only Coun. Roger Lemieux voted against the idea.
“I’m a team player but I am totally opposed to this,” Lemieux said. “To enter into a contract with a commercial business outside our boundaries so they can obtain insurance coverage does not sit well with me. Period.”
According to a city council agenda report, if the city and company can agree on a contract, the city would provide a service level of one four-person engine company and one three-person aerial company. The city would also make money on the contract over the original proposed five-year term, with the potential for a 15-year extension.
Fire chief Ray Richards said the city would need to hire six new firefighters at a cost of approximately $600,000 and approximately four fire services staff would need to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant from within the department. No new fire trucks or other equipment would be required.
“It does bring new staffing levels to enhance fire protection,” Coun. Malcolm Parker said. “It offers some significant revenue, thereby reducing our tax burden.
“We’re not in conflict with private business. Providing fire service is a very unique kind of business.”
Richards told concerned councillors that even if crews were called out to a fire at the facility, two fully staffed stations and more than two-thirds of staff and fire equipment would be available for any local incident that might spring up at the same time.
“We would use what we currently have and would still have enough available for St. Albert and call-ins and mutual aid agreements,” Richards said.
The chances of that happening, however, are not high, Richards explained. The commercial client with whom the city is negotiating has averaged six alarm calls over the last several years, all of which have been false alarms. The ability to communicate between the client and St. Albert Fire Services would also mean that in the event of a false alarm the business could immediately contact St. Albert to turn the trucks around.
The contract could be completed by the middle of January, at which time the name of the client and the value of the contract would be made known.
