BRFA presents Town Council with Budget

BFRA anticipates an increase to the Capital Budget due to upgrade to radio system

In preparation for the Town of Bonnyville’s budget deliberations, the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) presented Town Council with their anticipated budget. BFRA provides fire services, EMS services, 911 and dispatching for the Town, as well as certain areas of the MD of Bonnyville.  BFRA is funded at 24.2 percent funded by the Town and the MD and 75.8 percent funded by otehr revenue sources, including Alberta Health Services (AHS)

BFRA Station Chief Brian McEvoy says there will be some added expenses to the capital budget for 2017, due to the station switching over the the Alberta First Responders Radio Communications System (AFRRCS). “There is a request for the Town of Bonnyville to fund their share of the upgrading to our regional communications systems. That involves a move to the AFRRCS.”

Two options were presented to Council:

1. Funding with full radios for all fire fighters $119, 000
2. Funding with full radios for all fire fighters and a combination of pagers on the AFRRCS $87,000*

BFRA is requesting the Town go for option 2, says McEvoy, “this is to provide a radio system to replace our early 1980’s model radio system.” The cost includes replacing all the fire fighters radios, the equipment in the vehicles and paying roughly 18 percent towards the upgrades to the communications centre so it can operate within AFRRCS.

Many municipalities in Alberta have switched over, or are in the process of switching over to AFRRCS. The Alberta Government paid for the infrastructure of the system; however it’s the municipalities responsibility to pay for the radio components. The County of St. Paul switched to AFFRCS earlier this year.

The operating expenses, for BRFA, are expected to drop slightly, says McEvoy. “This year’s operating expense, from the Town of Bonnyville, for the 911 & dispatching component is $62,904,” McEvoy says this is a slight drop of about eight percent from 2016. “The reasons for that, is because, the revenues from wireless 911 service has gone up over the year before.” That’s partly due to providing 911 service to Saddle Lake First Nations, explains McEvoy.

“The fire component, the Town of Bonnyville’s contribution to that is $215, 448,” McEvoy says this is a slight drop from last year’s $216, 901. “The EMS component stays exactly the same, at zero,” McEvoy confirms. “We’ve had good meeting with Alberta Health Services and we’re renegotiating our contracts,” McEvoy could not elaborate any further in regards to contract negotiations. “The funds that the Town of Bonnyville advanced [EMS] earlier this year, $93,500, will be returned to the Town before the end of the year,” states McEvoy.

“Financially, as an Authority, we’re doing quite good and that’s what allows us to keep our funding requests the same, or slightly less; year after year,” explains McEvoy.

The Town of Bonnyville will take the information presented by Station Chief McEvoy into their budget deliberations in December.