Fire dispatch services out of Surrey will cost the Town of Sidney $53,350 this year, or less, as long as the number of calls is below 970 for the rest of the calendar year.

And the Town is hoping that will be the case, as Fire Chief Brett Mikkelsen reports his department is already anticipating it will be over budget for dispatch services this year.

B次元官网网址淓very effort will be made to compensate for this overage through the remainder of the departmentB次元官网网址檚 operating budget,B次元官网网址� Mikkelsen stated in a report to council. B次元官网网址淏ut the long-term savings through the Surrey contract represent good value.B次元官网网址�

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Sidney has been, this year, looking at getting its fire dispatch services through the City of Surrey after the District of Saanich raised its rates, following that municipalityB次元官网网址檚 review of the service it provides multiple other communities, like Sidney and North Saanich. Saanich decided to increase its costs to overcome what it termed its subsidizing of dispatch customers. Mikkelsen said in his report that Saanich essentially doubled its rate.

Sidney did agree to stay with SaanichB次元官网网址檚 dispatch services until it formally decides to switch to the City of Surrey B次元官网网址� which is the subject of a vote by Sidney Town council this evening. SidneyB次元官网网址檚 last five-year contract with Saanich ended June 30, 2017, after which the Town entered into successive short-term deals. This year, that service is expected to cost $6,062 per month B次元官网网址� or more than $73,000 for the year.

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Sidney and four other municipalities B次元官网网址� North Saanich, Colwood, View Royal and Esquimalt B次元官网网址� are looking at dispatch services from Surrey. Mikkelsen stated that Sidney would give Saanich 60 daysB次元官网网址� notice once all five are ready to make the change. That means Surrey could start providing fire dispatch services by August 1, or September 1, 2018.

Should the volume of emergency and non-emergency after hours calls jump to between 1,430 and 1,570, it will cost the municipality $86,350 in 2018 (all figures for the rest of this year will be pro-rated). ItB次元官网网址檚 all part of a schedule of annual charges outlined in a proposed service contract with Surrey being voted on tonight in Sidney.

The costs may not be limited to dispatch services, however. The contract also has the five Island municipalities paying a share of an estimated $150,000 to Surrey for initial radio, engineering, paging and records management connectivity associated with the change. Each municipality will be invoiced equally, or via a cost-sharing formula established by the five communities beforehand.

Mikkelsen added even with this added cost, B次元官网网址渢here will be significant savings for the Town.B次元官网网址�

Sidney council is expected to discuss, and vote upon, the contract at tonightB次元官网网址檚 council meeting, 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

The District of North Saanich will also have the contract on its agenda tonight for a vote. They will pay (pro-rated) $44,000 in 2018 if their call volume is below 800. If itB次元官网网址檚 between 1,180 and 1,300, theyB次元官网网址檒l pay $71,500.

For Sidney and North Saanich, the proposed contract calls for estimated rate increases of three per cent each year of a five-year deal.