CONTRACT RENEWAL – FIRE DISPATCH SERVICES

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Town of View Royal renew/extend the Dispatch Service Agreement with the City of Surrey for a period of five years;

AND THAT the Town’s signatories be authorized to execute the necessary related documents.

PURPOSE:

To renew the existing dispatch contract with Surrey Fire Rescue for a period of 5 years

TIME CRITICAL:

The current contract is set to expire within 6 months.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

View Royal Fire has received exemplary services for dispatch of its Fire Department from Surrey Fire Rescue for the past 4.5 years. Our mutual aid partners in Colwood, Langford and Esquimalt also receive this service from Surrey.

Renewal with Surrey maintains an aligned dispatch service and ensures seamless integration during emergencies with our mutual aid partners.

Significant savings to the Town are realized by renewing with Surrey as compared to any local providers. Surrey provides dispatch services to 50 agencies throughout the province and is seen as the leader in technology and delivery of dispatch services.

BACKGROUND:

The Town of View Royal Fire Department has received seamless service from Surrey Fire Rescue in its provision of fire dispatch. The center is staffed 24/7 with dedicated professional dispatchers.

In 2019 an operational and financial decision was made to enter into a contract for the service from Surrey. Several factors drove this decision, however the most significant was the proposed increase in costs from the local provider. Five local departments, (Esquimalt, View Royal, Colwood, Sidney and North Saanich) changed providers to Surrey with 2 additional departments (Victoria and Langford) switching over a few years later. In 2021 several other Vancouver Island Fire Departments went to Surrey. Today Surrey dispatches 50 clients, handling over 120,000 calls per year and exceeding industry standards with a minimum of 4 to 7 dispatchers on shift.

Since then, View Royal has realized not only significant savings, it has also enjoyed a top tier service delivery model with a professionally staffed, NFPA compliant dispatch center.

Costs associated with the service are up front and secured for the 5-year contract. There are no additional add on or hidden costs. Surrey has also factored in any costs associated with Next Generation 911 and future technological upgrades.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

A revised fee schedule has been supplied by Surrey. Fees are based on actual and predicted calls for service. It is notable that the 2023 estimate, was for calls up to 1260 totalling $80,614. A five-year analysis has shown that View Royal fell short of the predicted 1260 annual calls for service. As a result, in 2024 our costs will be reduced $18,904 to reflect the change in volume.

ALTERNATIVES:

Presently there is no compelling reason to seek an alternative service provider. Surrey is a well established center with significant technological and human resource capabilities.

Exploring alternate options would be costly, labor intensive and potentially drawn out. The transition to another provider could take 6 to 12 months, potentially leaving View Royal without a dispatch provider. Further, seeking alternate provision of service would complicate automatic and mutual aid relationships and our ability to work collaboratively on response initiatives.

It is the opinion of the writer and my recommendation that we renew the contract with the existing provider and not explore an alternative.

CONCLUSION:

ATTACHMENTS: