The Belleville Fire and Emergency Services department will stop providing fire dispatch services in the new year.
At Monday’s meeting Belleville council approved having the Peterborough Fire Department provide dispatch services for the city.
The Peterborough bid, totaling $1.85 million over 5 years, was the only qualified proposal received by the city.
Peterborough currently dispatches for the city and Peterborough and Northumberland counties.
Quinte West and Prince Edward County, along with the smaller communities in Hastings County have all selected the City of St. Catharines for the provision of fire dispatch.
Belleville Fire Chief Dan Smith told council that St. Catharines had submitted a bid but that it did not meet tender specifications and was disqualified.
Most municipalities are getting out of the fire dispatch business because of the cost of technical upgrades necessary to meet CRTC 9-1-1 regulations coming into effect in the spring of 2025.
The new technology will allow emergency information to flow into dispatch centres not only by phone, but by text, messaging, and video.
