Dan Dupuis, Tantramar’s new director of protective services at the Sackville Farmer’s Market in June
Dan Dupuis, Tantramar’s director of protective services says the town’s fire services will soon undergo an independent review.
He made the announcement during Monday’s town council meeting where he said staff are in the final stages of preparing a request for proposals from consultants who would conduct the review.
In an e-mail to Warktimes, Dupuis noted that municipal amalgamation in 2023 meant that Tantramar is now served by three separate fire departments in Dorchester, Point de Bute and Sackville.
“A comprehensive review of Tantramar Fire Services is needed to provide a clear level of service including operations, administration, training and fire prevention for our three fire departments,” he writes.
“Many factors have changed over the years including population growth, mid-rise apartment buildings, heavier traffic, rail services and aging infrastructure to name a few,” he adds.
He also told council that Sackville Fire and Rescue has 11 prospective recruits who have been invited to attend an orientation session in September and after that, suitable candidates will be selected as probationary firefighters.
Dupuis said the Sackville fire department now has 25 volunteers. Full strength would be 42 plus a full-time chief who has yet to be hired.
Rebuilding confidence
Becky Goodwin, the new Tantramar fire service manager of people & culture. Photo: Warktimes 2024
In her report to council, Becky Goodwin, the new human resources manager for Tantramar fire services, said a deliberate effort is underway to rebuild confidence between members and leadership in Sackville.
Her report included such steps as listening to members’ suggestions and acting on their recommendations as well as reinforcing a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct.
Goodwin outlined several steps for rebuilding trust within the Sackville department including regular check-ins with members, 24/7 availability for support, the development of anonymous feedback options and symbolic steps such as reintroducing the word “volunteer” on firefighting equipment.
“The Tantramar fire service is undergoing a deliberate and member-focused renewal,” she told council.
To read her report, click here.
After creating new staff positions to oversee the Fire Department, what those staff do is hire another consultant to do the jobs town staff are supposed to be doing? It’s a good thing our taxes have risen so dramatically in the past decade, or the town wouldn’t have unlimited funds to hire staff to write cheques for consultants to jobs municipal staff should be doing. Because there’s such a great track record of consultants solving the town’s problems.
Why is there always this assumption that nobody in Tantramar is capable of solving problems in Tantramar?