CANANDAIGUA — An outside agency will be studying fire service in the Canandaigua area, although details about when and how soon results will be available are still to be determined.
Councilmembers on Thursday gave the go-ahead for the study, which will be completed by the Center for Public Safety Management. The city and the town of Canandaigua are splitting evenly the $50,000 cost.
The study will look data such as fire calls and response times as well as talk with people in the city, Cheshire, VA, Hopewell, East Bloomfield and Bristol fire departments — all of which provide fire service in the city and town of Canandaigua. The study also is expected to come up with recommendations regarding staffing and equipment as well as help to define current and future risks facing the community and firefighters.
Some on City Council are hopeful results will help determine a strategy for providing the service with a regional approach and cost sharing.
City Manager John Goodwin said the end result will allow for more data-driven decision-making going forward.
There was some discussion about how the consultant was chosen, and why a request for proposals was not pursued.
Goodwin said CPSM is considered an "expert in the field" and comes recommended by municipalities where similar studies were done and by municipal colleagues. Because this is a considered a "professional service," an RFP is not required, Goodwin said.
A start date has not been determined, but the study itself is expected to take at least two months.
Councilmember Renée Sutton said the study would help the fire department qualify for accreditation, which is an accepted set of industry standards the department would seek to achieve, and "which be of value to the fire department."
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