Sussex looking 10 years into the future of its fire department

A new fire services review could determine the next 10 years of the service as Sussex continues to grow, the town says.

Sussex council approved a $68,000 contract to the Loomex Group for a fire services review at its June 17 meeting. With Sussex predicting further population growth, fire chief Tony Reicker told Brunswick News that the review offers a chance to adjust to those trends as well as National Fire Protection Association guidelines and issues raised by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.

"It allows us to see what the future holds for the next 10 years against the NFPA guidelines and some of the things that are perhaps growing trends," Reicker said. "That gives us an opportunity to be on the front end of charting a course for our growing community."

Reicker said that the town's infrastructure needs are growing and more larger buildings are being constructed, and at the same time, the mostly volunteer fire department has to manage buy-in and burnout among its staff.

"What is our threshold for number of calls where we maximize in a year what our volunteers can thrive in?" Reicker said. "We're hopeful that the review will give some insight into that, and if future staffing requirements are required."

CAO Scott Hatcher said that the community needs to assess its infrastructure needs, including fire, and that the review comes around every 10 years, with the last one in 2014.

"Periodically, we do a needs assessment to look at, what do we need to do to maintain the level of service we have in such a growing community?" Hatcher said. "This plan is the blueprint of where we think we need to go and be at in 2034, it gives you a 10-year window."

"This review helps speak to so much," Reicker said. "It updates what we need for awareness of infrastructure, what our commercial buildings look like," including fire prevention programs and how to reach out to new Canadians.

Sussex received $3.2 million in federal Housing Accelerator Fund cash in March ,with a promise of creating 104 permitted units in three years and 914 homes in the next decade. Some of the higher population estimates as part of the town's application suggested its population could grow from an estimated 6,050 to 8,500 in 2036, and 10,880 the next decade after.

The service currently has 31 volunteers, plus two full-time staff and the chief, for a full complement of 34 people. Council also voted June 17 to approve $4,320 for a three-month pilot project offering paid on-call scheduling on weekends from June 21 to Sept. 9.

All firefighters are currently on call, but "we've noticed that we want to ensure that ... there is a truck that's able to roll" in a timely fashion, Reicker said.

Reicker said they're "constantly recruiting" and have interview nights coming up. He said he understands that it's a big commitment, including training.

"It's volunteering at a different level, because it requires so much," he said. "We're trying to tie that back into the review, ultimately, of how do we find that good healthy balance for everyone in the community?"

When asked at what level Sussex would have to consider moving away from a volunteer service, Reicker said that would "lean heavily" on the results of the survey, which would be expected in October.

"Ultimately, the hope is that our community will always have a strong buy-in from volunteers," he said, citing the "strong spirit of compassion" volunteer firefighters bring.

There has been discussion in the past about the future of the fire station building itself, which Reicker said will be "one of the deliverables." Council approved $8,900 in September for a consultant review of ways to help upgrade the building, built in 1967, to give it another 10 years of life.

Reicker said they are looking at some combo of work required to keep the building open for now as well as a permanent solution for a new building that allows it to better respond to natural disasters.

The funding for the review will consist of $25,000 from the fire services contracts budget and the rest from the Housing Accelerator general fund, council heard at the meeting.

Protective services committee chair Graham Milner said they need to give the fire service "a little more recognition" for their work, including 1,181 volunteer hours this year outside of calls, and 1,404 hours on calls.

"They give up their special occasions at home ... when they get the call," Milner said. "To show our appreciation, we try to give them whatever they can ask for within reason."

Deputy mayor Tim Wilson, who chaired the meeting, said over the years, council has tried to give them whatever they need, especially any kind of training that can be provided.

"There's a lot of volunteer time involved ... and so we're very fortunate to have dedicated volunteers," Wilson told Brunswick News.

Andrew Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Telegraph-Journal