Your piece of correspondence addressed to the Municipality of West Hants was recently given to me. Upon receiving your correspondence, I’d like to take this opportunity to provide you with some information.
Squad #9 from Brooklyn Station 2 in Three Mile Plains responded July 1 upon receiving a paged dispatch from Valley Communications in Kentville at 13 seconds past 2:19 p.m. DC Cochrane arrived on scene at 25 Jared Court at 30 seconds past 2:23 p.m., a response time of four minutes and 17 seconds. Squad #9 was on scene at 2:27 p.m., total time on scene for both DC and Squad 9 was 18 minutes and eight seconds before leaving and returning to the Tonge Hill substation and back in service for our next call. I might point out that between the two stations, Brooklyn 1 and substation 2, we have responded to 327 dispatches since Jan 1.
The times I have noted are on file at the fire station in up-to-date logbooks and are also kept on file by Valley Communications in the event the Fire Marshall’s office ever wants to investigate. As well, at no point did Engine #9 enter Windsor town limits. Maps at our substation 2 at Tonge Hill clearly identify where Jared Court is located in the Municipality of West Hants.
While the page was sent by Valley Communications, the call was taken at the 911 call centre handled by the Truro RCMP. I cannot, and will not, speak for the call volumes at the Truro RCMP 911 Centre but I would find it incomprehensible for them to take some 21 minutes to turn an emergency call over to Valley Communications.
If you would like to have a coffee some Tuesday or Thursday when I am at substation 2, please drop in and I would be happy to show you the detailed log sheet from Valley Communications from the call you were questioning on the afternoon of July 1. I do also have a map of boundaries posted at substation 2 that you could view at this time.
I’d like to take this opportunity to add that as a volunteer organization providing emergency services to our communities and call areas, public safety is our utmost concern. If there is a communication problem identified it would be our priority to address it accordingly.
Andy McDade,
Brooklyn Fire Chief
