Cochrane firefighters are making sure emergency services are top of mind for council candidates ahead of next week’s election.
“As an association, we’re interested in public safety and protecting Cochrane the best that we can,” said Lt. Scott Pletsch, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 4819. “A big theme of this year’s campaign has been fiscal restraint, and some (candidates) even suggesting spending cuts – and that would … impact the essential services of the town.”
Cochrane Fire Services is currently made up of four platoons of five firefighters who staff the department 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a pool of additional workers called in to assist, depending on the type of call.
For example, when an alarm sounds for a large retail outlet like Walmart or Canadian Tire – or if firefighters are tasked to assist a car accident outside of town – more staff come in to make sure that colleagues on scene are supported or the station is equipped with people.
The fire department also has mutual aid agreements with Rocky View County and other regional services to share resources when necessary.
Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Polley said between January and the beginning of October, Cochrane units responded to more than 760 calls, including fire, rescue, medical assistance, motor vehicle accidents, alarm bells and first response situations.
With Cochrane’s population explosion – a hot topic on the election trail – Polley said adding more firefighters will definitely be on the radar for the next mayor and council’s upcoming four-year term to make sure the department keeps up with town growth.
Although no new fire staff has been hired since 2010 and the ratio of firefighters to residents sits at about 1:1,300, both Polley and Pletsch agree that doesn’t mean the department is understaffed.
“I wouldn’t say we are behind in our growth,” said Polley. “Like many other towns, departments are looking for additional full-time employees. We are very engaged in what the future plans of Cochrane look like.”
“Our town’s grown a lot. If that trend continues, there will be a tipping point at some point. Are we there today? No,” Pletsch agreed. “What we need to do is look long term.”
Those long-term plans include building satellite fire stations in both the north and south areas of Cochrane to deal with the crush of traffic flowing in and out of downtown.
“We do have traffic concerns that need to be managed. We try to get there as quickly as we can,” said Polley.
“Our response times are increasing as our communities are moving further and further from our station,” Pletsch added, saying gridlock at rush hour means firefighters, like everyone else, “have to wait in that lineup.”
Pletsch plans to continue to keep an open dialogue with town staff and “work collaboratively” with the next mayor and council — especially since they will be the ones to vote on the next collective agreement when the current one between the town and Local 4819 ends on Dec. 31, 2017.
So far, the union has not served notice to bargain.
“We will get there when we get there,” said Pletsch, adding he was clear to keep bargaining conversations separate from election discussions. “It hasn’t been a typical political action campaign ... I’ve been having conversations with all the candidates. So far, the message has been quite supportive.”
