The City of Cranbrook is looking forward to their partnership with the Regional District of the East Kootenay (RDEK) and the Kelowna Fire Department as they shift their dispatch services to the City of Kelowna beginning May 30.

On Wednesday, the RDEK and City of Kelowna announced the signing of the new fire dispatch contract, approved for $1,084,877 over five years which will provide dispatch and records management for the 16 fire departments located in the RDEK – including the City of Cranbrook.

“Discussions between the City of Cranbrook and the RDEK have been ongoing for close to a year now, in anticipation of the expiry of our current dispatch contract,” said Scott Driver, Deputy Director of Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services. “After an exhaustive look at the current dispatch delivery model, and the introduction of new Fire Service Regulations, it was determined that the City of Cranbrook would not seek to renew its’ dispatch contract with the Regional District of East Kootenay.”

City staff identified that the community would be more effectively served by the fire department if it were to focus efforts on local emergency response and prevention activities.

“This led us into a partnership with the RDEK to find a dispatch provider for the region, beginning this spring,” Driver noted. “The process resulted in a contract being awarded to Kelowna Fire Department that meets the needs of our entire region and at a rate that we could not compete with locally.”

Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services is extremely happy with the level of service provided by the Kelowna Fire Department, and their customer focused operation and looks forward to working together in keeping residents safe.

City of Cranbrook

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