Brooke-Alvinston isn’t interested in a fee-for-service fire contract with Dawn-Euphemia.

Mayor Al Broad recently floated the idea saying it would “simplify things” for Dawn-Euphemia as it would only be charged for fire service when there was a fire in the area serviced by Brooke firefighters.

It would also be money saving. This year Dawn-Euphemia will pay $27,450 for fire service to Brooke-Alvinston. It also will pay about $75,000 for its share of equipment costs. In all, Dawn-Euphemia foots 11 per cent of the bill, down from 18 per cent in 2020.

Dawn-Euphemia has a fee-for-service agreement with Chatham-Kent for the area around Bothwell. It hasn’t had a fire call since 2019 and therefore hasn’t had to pay for the service.

Brooke Fire Service Chief Steve Knight says that’s exactly the problem with a fee-for-service arrangement.

“There’s a potential there that we would have no income whatsoever,” he told council at the April 28 meeting.”

Knight adds there is the potential that Brooke firefighters would go out and then would not be needed and “that would actually cost us money in the long run.”

Council decided to decline Dawn-Euphemia’s suggestion.

Knight says there is dispute mechanism in the agreement with the township that Dawn-Euphemia could use to resolve the issue. It could also give notice it wasn’t going to use Brooke Fire Service. “We would follow whatever rules there are in the present agreement for dissolution,” says Knight.

Or the township could run out the current agreement and try to negotiate another.