Taxpayers to benefit from City of Barrie and Markham partnership

With nearly 350,000 people, the City of Markham is now Barrie's largest customer for emergency dispatch.

"It's important in the most difficult moment in their lives when people reach out through an emergency call that the person on the other end of the line is able to assist them," said Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman.

Barrie Fire and Emergency Services now provides 24/7 emergency call-taking and dispatch service to Markham Fire and Emergency Services.

The addition brings the total number of service agreements with client municipalities to 21.

"Markham is known for their professional and progressive approach in serving their community, and being selected as their communications provider recognizes the tremendous service levels we are able to provide here at Barrie fire," said Barrie Fire Chief Cory Mainprize.

Last year, the Barrie centre dispatched more than 23,000 calls. Add Markham, and that number is expected to jump to 30,000.

"Not only are we saving, we are increasing our levels of service and are leveraging a partnership with an industry expert," said Markham Fire Chief Adam Grant.

The agreement is expected to save both taxpayers in Markham and Barrie money.

The city said the addition would help offset capital and operating costs in maintaining the centre.

"That oversees the cost of staffing and upgrades to our computer systems and stuff in order to provide the services to that municipality," said Carrie Clark, deputy chief of communications.

Seventeen full-time and part-time staff, including four from Markham, will work out of the Barrie-Simcoe Emergency Services Campus, home to Barrie police and County of Simcoe paramedics.

The agreement began last week and will also speed up EMS services for Markham residents, as Barrie is already linked to the Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC).

"As the CACC receives their call-in information and enters it into their system, we can see it in ours simultaneously. We can then dispatch our apparatus at the same time as EMS service providers, and now Markham will be doing the same thing," Mainprize said.

"When we implemented that system here in Barrie, it was about two to two and a half minute difference in response time."

The shared service agreement is expected to prepare Markham fire services and Barrie for the transition to Next Generation 911 in 2024.