After Avignon Est, it is the turn of the four fire services in the Avignon Ouest region to merge.
This milestone was reached on January 1st. The affected territory includes seven municipalities in the Pointe-à-la-Croix and plateaux sector.
The director, Pascal Martel, had already been responsible for the four services for several years. It’s one less administrative headache for him.
More of the 80 part-time firefighters who are part of the team will be able to respond to fires, he said.
He adds that emergency calls will become more efficient, especially during the week. During the day, fewer firefighters can leave their jobs to put out a fire.
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Pascal Martel is the new director of the Avignon West fire department. Previously, he was director of four fire departments in the same region.
Photo: - / Jean-François Deschênes
I’ll find myself having a lot more firefighters on an initial call than I had before. Before, I had to wait to do billings for other firefighters now. It will be easier for me in terms of management, too.
He is therefore convinced that citizens will now have better service and for the same price: $430,000 per year.
Now, on the initial call, I will be able to call the Saint-Alexis firefighters to intervene in Saint-François.
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The new Matapedia barracks are part of the merger of the Avignon d’Ouest fire services.
Photo : - / Marguerite Morin
The Avignon Est sector merged its four fire services a year ago.
This territory includes around sixty part-time firefighters for the municipalities of Carleton-sur-Mer, Maria, Nouvelle and Escuminac.
The director of the Avignon Est fire service, Marc Côté, believes that interventions have improved in the last year. Now, a firefighter can respond to two fire stations rather than one. I even have one who answers to three because he is squarely in the middle.
An assessment of this first year of activity must be made by the end of the month, according to the deputy mayor, Jean-Simon Landry.
He also believes in the positive benefits for the region, particularly with regard to the standardization of working methods and training. This brought great professionalization to the fire services in the region. A great mobilization of the teams too.
The services cost a total of $678,000, which is about the same as before the merger, he estimates.
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A Carleton-sur-Mer firefighter tries to put out the fire at the l’Abri motel in September 2020. (Archive photo)
Photo: Courtesy of Erik Larouche
Officials believe that services will continue to improve, particularly with the hiring of full-time preventionists in the coming months.
Avignon Est also plans to hire a technician to maintain the equipment this summer.
In the province, a consultation to reform fire safety was carried out this summer. The results should be revealed soon.
Quebec wants to encourage municipalities, particularly those with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, to consolidate their fire services.
Coroner Cyrille Delagé made a recommendation following the L’Isle-Verte tragedy which cost the lives of 32 seniors around ten years ago.
