April 16 will be a historic day for Belleville Fire and Emergency Services with the closure of in-house fire dispatch. With the onset of new regulatory requirements for emergency communications and 911 dispatch centres, the City of Belleville has decided to refocus its investment into emergency response and critical resources needed to protect its residents, businesses and visitors, and enter into a five-year agreement with the City of Peterborough to provide fire dispatch services.
Previously, Belleville Fire and Emergency Services provided dispatch services for the City, as well as all departments within Hastings County. Over the last year, all participating departments have moved on to new services, leaving Belleville to dispatch in-house only while completing the transitional process to Peterborough. Effective April 16, dispatch will be hosted entirely by Peterborough Fire Services.
Throughout the onboarding process, it became very apparent that both municipalities and their respective fire service have many commonalities, making it a great fit. Residents requiring fire services will see no change in service with the transition and no actions are required by any alarm monitoring agencies.
“Belleville Fire and Emergency Services is excited to partner with Peterborough on this initiative,” said Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Services Dan Smith. “Since the establishment of the Belleville Fire Department in 1878, when fire calls were announced by the ringing of the bells in the clock tower of City Hall, to the present day, Belleville firefighters have been on the other end of the line, answering countless emergency calls across Hastings and Prince Edward Counties and sending the appropriate assistance. Today we pass this responsibility to our friends at Peterborough Fire. This new bond has already opened doors for more collaborative work in the areas of training initiatives, peer review and purchasing power. We know they will continue to provide our citizens and firefighters with quality and reliable emergency dispatch service, and we look forward to building a long-standing relationship.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
