Fenske fights for 6 additional firefighters
Sherwood Park New

by Dave S. Clark
Wednesday December 13, 2006

A councillor request to add six more full-time firefighter/paramedics in order to reduce the redeployment of Heartland Hall didn’t get approval from council in budget meeting last week.
The request was brought forward by Coun. Jacquie Fenske, who wants to reduce the number of times that firefighters have to be deployed from the rural hall so that they can attend calls in other parts of Strathcona County or Sherwood Park.
Strathcona Emergency Services manager Dwight Osbaldeston said that the department’s policy is to move its resources to wherever needed most. But the department has seen a huge jump in the number of calls it has received, making redeployment from other stations a necessity.
Osbaldeston said in order to effectively reduce the number of redeployments, the department would need an additional six firefighter/paramedics, on top of the six that were requested in the budget.We said that would also reduce the number of hours of overtime that crews work as well. But redeployment would still be necessary when several calls come in simultaneously.

“These resources will have a positive impact on safety and reducing redeployment. Every resident of Strathcona County will benefit,” he said
Fenske said the firefighters are needed so that residents and industry in the northern part of Strathcona County feel safe.
Coun. Alan Dunn said since he wasn’t supporting the idea because it was a councillor that asked to hire the firefighters, not the department.
“We have to trust the people who are paid to do this -- the balance between service and cost,” said Dunn. “(Osbaldeston) admitted that six, 60 or 600 new firefighters would be fine.”
Coun. Linda Osinchuk said that industry should help out with the cost of providing emergency services, but Coun. Brent Jewell said industry does its share by providing tax revenue.
But the motion fell on a 4-4 tie vote with Fenske, Jewell, Peter Wlodarczak and Cathy Olesen voting in favour and Dunn, Osinchuk, Ken Lesniak and Glen Lawrence voting against it.
The six firefighters would have been spread across the halls in the county to most effectively meet the demands. They would have come at a cost of $584,000 per year.