A Rocky Mountain House town councillor is questioning why some municipalities may receive provincial funding for expensive emergency responder communication equipment, when many municipalities, such as Rocky, will be forced to continue funding it out of its own coffers.
Those concerns stemmed from a resolution from the Town of Strathmore that was brought forward during the Alberta Municipalities (AB Munis) Convention And Trade Show in Red Deer.
The resolution called for AB Munis to petition the Government of Alberta to provide financial support for municipalities with a population of less than 3,000 to obtain equipment necessary to participate in the Alberta First Responders Radio Communications System (AFRRCS).
AFRRCS is the provincewide radio system that helps first-responders, such as police, fire, and ambulance, coordinate to improve safety and response times.
Not all municipalities participate in AFRRCS, documents show, as the radios can cost anywhere between $5,000 and $15,000 per unit.
The resolution from the Town of Strathmore, which can be read in full here, reads in part:
Unfortunately, the outlay of dollars for these radios is cost intrusive to many budgets in towns, villages and counties with vast space and smaller populations.
Officials from the Town of Strathmore, which has a population of around 15,000, says it spent around $250,000 just to cover the cost of the pricey equipment.
While she’s not opposed to it, Rocky Mountain House town councillor Tina Hutchinson spoke before the delegation about the scope of the resolution.
“My concern is that the Town of Rocky Mountain House has already budgeted and paid for the system for the safety of all our residents,” says Hutchinson. “To have the government subsidize one municipality and not the other — I didn’t feel that was fair and equitable for all municipalities across the province.”
The Town of Edson became the latest to announce it’s fully funding the AFRRCS system.
At its meeting Tuesday, Oct, 1, Edson town council approved the addition of $120,000 to the 2024 capital budget to implement it.
Delegates at the Sept. 26 meeting approved the resolution, which means the AB Munis board will be forwarding it to the Alberta government for consideration.
94.5 Rewind Radio News reached out to the office of Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services for a statement, but did not hear back in time for publishing.
–with files from xm105fm.com
–
READ MORE
- Town of Rocky Mountain House brings resolution to ABmunis conference
- Edson town council approves funding for improved radio system
- Local officials to meet with power brokers at ABmunis conference in Red Deer
–
Comments