Merritt Fire Rescue
The Merritt Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) is responsible for community safety in both emergency and non-emergency capacities. Its mission is to protect life and property, minimize damage, and mitigate injury or loss.
In emergencies, MFRD responds to fire suppression, medical first response, hazardous materials incidents, and motor vehicle accidents. In non-emergency situations, the department conducts fire investigations, fire and life safety education, fire safety inspections, and ensures legislative and bylaw compliance for buildings. It also provides firefighter training. MFRD services account for 6% of the City’s annual operating budget.
SERVICE AREA
The Merritt Fire Rescue Department serves approximately 12,000 individuals in Merritt and the Nicola Valley, covering a vast geographic area spanning over 8,000 square kilometers. This area includes Cooks Ferry, the Lower Nicola Indian Bands, and the District of Logan Lake. The latter two are part of a mutual aid agreement, allowing for reciprocal fire assistance between departments.
MERRITT FIRE RESCUE
Dave Tomkinson
Fire Chief
Phone: (250) 378-5626
Email: dtomkinson@merritt.ca
CALLS FOR SERVICES
Call volume to the Merritt Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) has doubled in the last decade, partly due to hospital/ambulance staffing issues, homelessness, increased vehicle collisions, and wildfire activity due to climate change. In the past decade, calls for service increased from about 500 calls in 2014 to nearly 1200 calls in 2024. In the last year alone, the Fire Department experienced a 22% increase in calls for service over the previous year.
In 2023, emergency calls for service accounted for 5,200 staff hours, which included 22 reportable fires, with estimated losses totalling $2.8 million.
FIRE SERVICE FLEET
Merritt Fire Rescue must follow mandated guidelines set by the Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS) in Canada. This organization assesses a community’s fire protection capabilities, including the reliability and effectiveness of firefighting equipment, such as fire engines and ladder trucks. For example, their guidelines require that equipment be replaced after 20 years or that a fleet must maintain a minimum pumping capacity, such as 3,300 GPM for Merritt. To maintain Merritt’s Dwelling Protection Grade (DPG 2), and the resulting lower insurance premiums for residents, the City of Merritt must plan for obsolescence and incorporate capital reserves, or savings, into the budget every year.
At present, the Merritt Fire Rescue Department fleet consists of:
- Two Type 1 Fire Engines
- One 75-foot Quint Ladder Truck
- One Type 1 Tactical Water Tender
- One Rescue Truck
- One Type 5 Wildland Truck (also equipped for medical response)
- One Structure Protection Unit (SPU)
- Two Administrative Vehicles
KEY FACTS
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CALL VOLUME has doubled in the last decade, partly due to hospital/ambulance staffing issues, homelessness, increased vehicle collisions, and wildfire activity.
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MANDATED EQUIPMENT & SERVICES: Merritt Fire Rescue must follow Canadian guidelines set by the Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS), from replacing aging fire trucks to a minimum pumping capacity of 3,300 GPM.
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MANPOWER SAVINGS: Merritt Fire Rescue has been able to offset the cost of career staffing by establishing a nationally recognized Work Experience Program.
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PARTNERING FOR SAVINGS: The Merritt Rescue Fire Department offsets much of its operational costs by entering into fire protection agreements for areas outside municipal boundaries.
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LOWER PROPERTY INSURANCE RATES: Properties located outside the City’s Fire Protection area must pay up to 210% more on their property insurance.
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LOW COSTS & HIGH VALUE: Merritt’s Dwelling Protection Grade (DPG2), as issued by FUS, is the highest achievable without a fully career-staffed department.
STAFFING
The department comprises six career members, including a Fire Chief, Fire Prevention Officer, FireSmart Program Coordinator/Inspector, Training Officer, and two Fire Technicians. Additionally, there are 24 paid-on-call firefighters and 6 Work Experience Program Firefighters, who operate out of a single fire station and respond to alarms on a single-alarm basis.
Merritt Fire Rescue has been able to offset the cost of career staffing by establishing a nationally recognized Work Experience Program.
WORK EXPERIENCE & TRAINING
Firefighter staffing is a challenge, particularly during the daytime, as paid-on-call firefighters may not be able to leave their regular employment to staff the fire department during emergencies. To address these staffing challenges, minimize budgets, and help grow the next generation of firefighters, the Merritt Fire Rescue Department established the nationally recognized Fire Service Work Experience Program (WEP). WEP attracts candidates from the many Fire Academies and Pre-Service Programs from across Canada and the United States. Successful candidates arrive certified to the National Fire Protection Association’s 1001 Standard. Many bring previous firefighting experience from their volunteer firefighting backgrounds.
In Merritt, the Fire Service Work Experience Program (WEP) hosts six candidates. The program offers hands-on training, mentorship, and exposure to various aspects of fire service operations. Candidates live within the fire station and voluntarily assist career staff by delivering public fire safety education, conducting company-level fire inspections, and performing station and equipment maintenance. Similar to the paid-on-call firefighting force, they are only remunerated for responding to incidents. This program not only serves to educate the next generation of firefighters, but it also provides the citizens of Merritt with an elevated level of fire protection and emergency response without the cost of adding full-time firefighters.
The Merritt Fire Rescue Department is recognized as a “full service” fire department, providing firefighter training to NFPA 1001, Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications. In 2023, the department delivered 415 training sessions covering 105 subjects, and comprising more than 8,000 staff hours.
FIRE SAFETY INSPECTIONS & PLANNING
The Merritt Fire Rescue Department conducts hundreds of fire safety inspections every year. In 2023, they conducted 529 inspections of public buildings, ensuring compliance with the Provincial Fire Safety Act. The department also works on Pre-incident Planning, which involves gathering essential building information to enhance emergency response preparedness and safety. In 2023, 54 new plans were created.
FIRE SAFETY EDUCATION | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The Merritt Fire Rescue Department helps improve community safety through various community fire safety programs, including FireSmart, FireSafe, Community Wildfire Preparedness, and Fire Life Safety Education. The Fire Life Safety Education programs delivers essential fire and life safety messages to various groups, including preschoolers, K-12 students, adult learners, and seniors. In 2023, this accounted for educating approximately 1500 individuals.
BUDGETING FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
- BUDGET: The Merritt Fire Department comprises 6% of the City of Merritt’s annual operating budget. A portion of this budget goes into capital reserves, or savings, as part of a plan to maintain and replace equipment and vehicles as mandated.
- AGING EQUIPMENT: To meet mandated guidelines of Canada’s Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS), the Merritt Fire Rescue Department must retire vehicles after 20 years of service, among other requirements.
- HIGH DEMAND: Call volume continues to increase, doubling over the last decade. In the last year alone, call volume has increased 22%. This is in part due to issues like hospital and ambulance staffing issues.
- FULL SERVICE LEVELS: The Merritt Fire Department maintains a “full service” categorization, with a target of deploying 10 personnel within 10 minutes to fire incidents.
- PARTNERING FOR SAVINGS: The Merritt Rescue Fire Department offsets much of its operational costs by entering into fire protection agreements for areas outside municipal boundaries.
- MANPOWER SAVINGS: Thanks to the nationally recognized Work Experience Program (WEP), the Merritt Fire Rescue Department is able to maximize its service levels without the added costs.
- LOW INSURANCE COSTS: Merritt’s Dwelling Protection Grade (DPG 2), as issued by Fire Underwriters, is the highest achievable without a fully career-staffed department. Note that those outside of Merritt’s Fire Protection Area can pay up to 210% more on their insurance premiums.
Budget cuts to the Merritt Fire Rescue Department would result in being unable to provide full service and being unable to meet mandated guidelines. The result would be a lower quality of service to the community, greater risk for residents, and higher insurance rates for property owners.
Thanks to the efforts of the Merritt Fire Rescue Department, the City of Merritt is able to maximize benefit to the community while keeping costs at a minimum.
