An agreement that has been beneficial for both West Perth and Perth East for more than decade will likely continue for at least another four-ish years.
West Perth has notified Perth East of its desire to extend an existing agreement, signed in December 2013, in which Perth East provides interim fire chief services to West Perth.
With both municipalities agreeing this partnership has been “mutually beneficial,” West Perth CAO Dan Hobson told council April 7 in a report that it allowed for “the creation of a professional administrative team that may not have been feasible without the collaboration.”
The proposed extension term would be from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2029. This would be the latest extension to the agreement, which, since May 1, 2014, involves sharing the services of a fire chief, a full-time administrative assistant and a full-time fire prevention officer. The current agreement, which began Jan. 1, 2022, is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025.
Hobson told council the terms of the existing agreement will largely remain unchanged from previous iterations.
“We have a really great firefighting department here. I think that’s all too apparent,” said Hobson, alluding to an April 3 house fire in Mitchell that “saw a very quick and healthy response from the team.”
Council passed the recommendation to extend the agreement unanimously.
In 2024, the West Perth Fire Department responded to a record 180 alarms that totalled more than 2,400 hours, with an average of one hour and 12 minutes spent at the scene. Statistics show the average response time for all alarms was 10 minutes and 37 seconds, with an average of one-dozen firefighters responding.
Estimated total dollar loss for 2024 was $4.15 million, but an almost equal value amount of property, pegged at $3.96 million, was saved due to their hard work.
Of the 180 alarms, 37 were for alarm system malfunctions, 32 involved motor-vehicle collisions and 25 were medical calls. There were 15 alarm system accidental activations, 12 structure and vehicle fires, 12 no-loss outdoor fires and open air/unauthorized burns, and 11 calls for assistance from other fire departments, emergency medical services and police.
In 2023, there were 121 alarm calls; in 2022, there were 128 and, in 2021, there were 127.