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Hamilton fire department has a new plan to expand services

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The first plan is to update how fire services are delivered in Hamilton since the city amalgamated with five surrounding municipalities in 2001. The plan calls for more resources and to reconsider how the department responds to medical emergencies. The Hamilton fire department says it needs $30,000,000 in extra funding over the next ten years to keep up with the growing community.

The city’s Fire Chief says it’s not about the number of calls it’s about the increased risk of fire that comes with more people and more buildings in an increasingly urban community. The chief says four areas, in particular, need more resources, Waterdown, Upper Stoney Creek, Winonna and Binbrook.

The department wants to begin by adding 14 firefighters by mid-2020 in Waterdown and Upper Stoney Creek at a cost of $900,000. They are also building a new fire station in Waterdown funded by fees collected from developers. But the job they are doing is not usually fighting fires, in 2018 less than one percent of calls were for structure fires.

Over the last five years, the total number of calls has increased, with fire calls dropping except for a slight bump in 2018. More than 65 percent of calls are for medical emergencies. Firefighters have an agreement with paramedics to respond to life-threatening calls where every second count, to ensure someone in an emergency gets assistance as fast as possible.

They provide basic medical help, but paramedics can do much more and are sent on these calls too. In some cases, a need for a firefighter to attend a medical emergency are cancelled before they ever make contact with a patient.

The chief says it happens on thirty-five percent of medical calls and it’s pushed the department to reconsider which calls it should attend. The chief says it’s still important for the department to respond to medical calls – but a better call-screening process and integrating the fire and paramedic dispatch system could help the department to respond only to the calls where they will make a difference.

The improved call-screening process and integrated dispatch system are part of this new 10-year-plan. That plan will also support fire prevention work, including inspections and education, and the department’s rescue operations.

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