Editor’s note: This story was updated to include comments from a media release issued by the Town of Stettler.
The April 4 Town of Stettler council meeting marked the beginning of the end of the Stettler Regional Fire Department.
After a confidential session at the end of the regular meeting, council decided to issue a notice of intent to withdraw from the partnership with the County and some of the smaller rural municipalities.
According to chief administrative officer (CAO) Greg Switenky, the current agreement which the department is operating under expired in 2016; while the town and county have been meeting behind closed doors to come to terms on a new deal, County of Stettler Reeve Larry Clarke says that the two parties have been unable to reach one.
“There had to be changes,” said Clarke,
“We just didn’t agree on the changes.”
The Stettler Regional Fire Department has operated as a regional entity since 2005; prior to that time the town and county each had their own departments, a model that they will be going back to.
Clarke and Switenky both stated that there will be no gaps in service as the next steps are figured out and any changes being made will not happen quickly; both anticipate anywhere from 12 to 18 months for the transition to occur.
“There are lots of logistics to figure out. There’s no playbook for this,” said Switenky.
“We’re not taking this lightly.”
According to Switenky, one of the reasons for the change is that the equipment requirements between the urban and rural departments are so different.
“The priority throughout this adjustment is to create a sustainable plan that respects the unique jurisdictional needs of all involved communities while ensuring that there are no gaps in the high level of fire services that Town and County residents rely on,” notes Town of Stettler communications officer Lara VanLanduyt, in a media release.
Switenky notes that in an urban setting, a fire department operating from a pressurized water system needs more fire engines and fewer water tenders as there is a steady supply of water; in the rural setting, the reverse is true.
“It’s complicated,” said Switenky.
With the decision made to withdraw, one of the first steps in the separation of the two services will be conducting a full inventory of equipment and setting up the staffing for the two separate departments.
As the separation continues, the new services will also have to develop new mutual-aid agreements going forward.
Switenky noted that though the two services will be independent, they will continue to support each other.
For the immediate future, neither Stettler town nor county residents should expect any change to services.
“We have recognized that the fire service needs of our community have evolved since the original Regional Fire Agreement was signed in 2005, and that there are fundamental differences in the needs of an urban community versus rural,” said Mayor Sean Nolls, in a media release.
“We believe that moving in this direction is the best way to strengthen relationships with our community partners and offer the strongest level of fire services to residents.”
