Port Colborne will be sharing a fire chief and two deputy chiefs with Wainfleet on a permanent basis now that negotiations over a shared fire services agreement have concluded and a deal has been approved.
On Tuesday, city council approved the agreement that results in Morgan Alcock maintaining the dual role he’s held since March, after former chief Scott Lawson left Port Colborne to become a deputy fire chief in Niagara Falls.
Wainfleet Deputy Chief Shawn Schutten has also held a dual role since then, as Port Colborne had been without a deputy since mid-2023 after Mike DeGasperis moved to Thorold. Schutten will now be deputy fire chief of community risk reduction and administration.
A deputy chief of operations and training will be recruited.
The three positions will be City of Port Colborne employees, with costs being split 60-40 with Wainfleet. It’s expected the city will save $46,860 a year with this arrangement, while Wainfleet will save close to $54,000.
A joint shared services committee has been meeting since March to negotiate the agreement and had also explored a fully amalgamated department.
However, because Wainfleet has an all-volunteer model, with many senior and experienced members who are career firefighters for other municipalities, the committee determined those members would no longer volunteer because of union pressure.
There will be an annual review of the shared management team. As well, Port Colborne’s council also approved a recommendation that a community risk assessment and master fire plan be undertaken by year 2 of the agreement.
Since the shared services model was introduced, there’s been pushback from within the department.
Addressing councillors, Port Colborne Professional Firefighters Association president Mike Radzikoski said he was not before them to debate the decision. Rather, he decried the process, saying it didn’t adequately seek input from the employees who will be serving under the management team.
“The way I see it, this decision was made back in March,” he said.
He also reiterated concerns he raised then about the focus of the leadership team being diluted.
“To save $46,000 we’re not going to have individuals that are dedicated to Port Colborne anymore,” Radzikoski said. “We’re going to have three management positions that are going to be playing dual roles in two municipalities. Where is the focus going to be?”
Ward 4 Coun. Ron Bodner said saving money was not the primary objective.
“I think I said from the beginning, and I think other councillors said, this wasn’t about money,” he said. “It was about getting better fire services for the communities.”
Ward 4 Coun. Monique Aquilina voted against the agreement, saying it is not the direction to be taking as the city’s population is growing.
“I have a lot of reservations about doing the shared services, only because I think Port Colborne is only going to be expanding,” she said.
The agreement will be good for eight years, after which there will be an option to renew or discontinue it.