Fire Rescue Starts Pilot Project

By Corey Fischer

Feb 15, 2019 | 9:55 AM

Vernon Fire Rescue has launched a pilot project aimed at making better use of its firefighters and reducing overtime.

The pilot maintains a minimum four firefighter response from the downtown fire hall.

When staffing is six or more, the additional firefighters will work from Station 2 in Okanagan Landing.

Station 3 at Predator Ridge will continue to be staffed during high hazard periods and for special events.

“Career and paid-per-call firefighters are working together to staff Station 2 at every opportunity, says Fire Chief David Lind. “The pilot involves new assignments, the adaptation of work practices, and an increased time commitment from the paid-per-call members. In 2018, VFRS received a budget increase to accommodate more paid-per-call hours and the strategic plan calls for additional full time staffing in 2021. At that point, Station 2 will have a minimum of two firefighter staffing most of the time.”

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Lind says contracting out dispatch services in 2018 provided the ability to re-allocate four previous positions to firefighter positions.

“Prior to contracting out the service VFRS firefighters provided relief when dispatchers were away, committing approximately 2,000 hours of firefighter time in dispatch each year. Today, with the equivalent of five full time firefighters hours re-allocated to response it’s time to start addressing gaps in the current deployment model.”

Lind says with more resources, they should be able to avoid the need for overtime.

“VFRS has come to rely heavily on overtime to maintain service levels and to increase staffing for larger, longer lasting events. With more resources immediately available and better positioned throughout the community it is reasonable to expect that much of the need for this can be avoided.”

“A heavy reliance on overtime is unhealthy for organizations and their employees,” says Lind. “In the long term it is not cost effective and our people need breaks from work to rest and recover. When the opportunities for time away are reduced we are really doing our staff a disservice. Overtime should be a leader’s tool of last resort and not a daily go to.”

The pilot began on February 4, 2019 and is scheduled to run until November 1, 2019. Lind says in the first weeks of the pilot there have been instances in which service has been improved for customers and also instances where overtime has been avoided.

Photo: February 4, 2019 – First Day of VFRS Deployment Pilot. Left to right – Captain D. Cecchini, Deputy Chief S. Hemstad, Firefighter S. Calder, Lieutenant M. Stoll, Firefighter B. Crawford, Firefighter S. Pshyk, Firefighter J. Bradley, Chief D. Lind.

by Corey Fischer