The city will save $352,000 this year because nine fewer fire-medics than expected were needed to fulfil the province’s ambulance contract.
Fire Chief Jack MacDonald said when Alberta Health Services determined it needed five fully staffed ambulances available at all times, the department estimated 39 new fire-medics and two assistant trainers were required.
“As we got into the contract we realized that we could probably reduce the number that we originally forecast and that’s what we’ve done,” he said following a presentation to council during the third day of budget talks Thursday.
The department reduced by nine the number of fire-medics and also dropped the two assistant training positions.
The savings don’t reflect the actual cost of a full year of salaries for the positions but are based on the net impact to the budget given the addition of other salaries from new hires.
The department now has about 160 fire-medics and a total staff of just under 190 full-time positions.
MacDonald said since Red Deer Emergency Services took over the ambulance contract from the province beginning in April things have been running smoothly. “So far, we’re meeting our contract just absolutely perfectly.”
Ambulances were able to respond within four minutes of travel time 90 per cent of the time, meeting the department’s own goal. Fire trucks were able to reach the four-minute mark 81 per cent of the time.
MacDonald said now that the new staff have been recruited, trained and deployed he expected response times to improve further this year.
The two-year ambulance contract expires at the end of March 2011 and MacDonald said the city and the department wants to see its system of integrating fire and ambulance services continue.
“We want to do our best on a day to day basis to enable that to be taken to the province to say this is what we want for the City of Red Deer,” he said. Negotiations on a new contract are expected to start in the first quarter of this year.
Meanwhile, the province will be moving dispatch services to Calgary this year as part of an effort to centralize dispatch. The loss of the contract will cost the department $271,067 in revenue this year as Alberta Health Services takes over contracts with neighbouring municipalities that once used dispatchers based out of Red Deer.
Councillor Cindy Jefferies said a year ago there was much uncertainty about the future of ambulances and she was pleased that the service was running well.
“But the uncertainty that we all thought would end has not ended,” she said. “I hope we get our certainty in the future.”
In other budget news:
•Inspections and Licensing is looking at including minor theft in the Community Standards Bylaw. The move suggested by the RCMP would free up police by allowing them to hand out tickets for minor shoplifting offences, similar to the fines faced by those caught fighting or spitting in public.
•Inspections and Licensing is also working with the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre to solve its parking woes. There are already too few spaces available and the hospital wants to expand its cancer centre.
•The downtown parkade is expected to generate $606,174 in additional revenue for the city in 2010. The 400-stall parkade is expected to be open by June and will include monthly and daily rates. The money will go towards the cost of the $21 million parkade.
•The proposed budget includes an additional $77,000 to help the SPCA cover the costs of its new shelter due to open in early March. The city already provides about $40,000 a year to the organization, which is 90 per cent supported by donations.
•A proposal is before council to extend its support of the Red Deer Regional Airport Authority and renew the agreement to provide $185,000 per year. Council has also been asked to split half the cost of a $75,000 are structure plan for the airport in Springbrook.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com