In 2021, Grimsby and Lincoln embarked on a pilot project to undertake shared fire protection services. Both Councils approved reports directing their respective staff to proceed with jointly establishing a shared fire department for the two neighbouring communities in West Niagara.

The plan for a shared fire service was intended to allow both municipalities to maximize their collective resources to provide enhanced capacity and efficiencies in service delivery and to provide opportunities for future cost avoidance as both municipalities continued to grow.

Municipalities were encouraged to explore opportunities for shared services with other municipalities in the interest of achieving operational efficiencies and focus on frontline services.

A partnership between Grimsby and Lincoln was explored due to similarities between the two communities’ populations, demographics, geographic profiles, growth projections and existing fire protection agreements between the two municipalities.

The shared fire service pilot project began October 1, 2021. During the pilot, the intention was for both municipalities to maximize their collective resources and review efficiencies by sharing services. A Joint Advisory Committee was established to provide governance and oversight on behalf of both municipalities. The pilot project agreement ended in October 2024 and was replaced with a new agreement. The current agreement only shares the Fire Chief between both Grimsby and Lincoln fire departments.

The fire services of both the Town of Grimsby and the Town of Lincoln are facing challenges posed by evolving demands for fire protection services as each community experiences significant growth, while striving to sustain a cost-effective volunteer fire service model.

Both the Town of Grimsby and the Town of Lincoln enlisted the help of a qualified multi-disciplined proponent to undertake the Service Delivery Review and Future Roadmap of Grimsby and Lincoln Fire Services. This report is expected to be a holistic analysis of the current and projected needs of the municipalities and a recommended course of action that benefits all stakeholders.

The comprehensive service review and feasibility analysis of both fire services will evaluate current capabilities and future potential through a detailed lens, addressing operational performance, financial sustainability, resource allocation, and risk mitigation.

The analysis will identify critical service needs and existing gaps, such as response times, staffing levels, equipment lifecycle management, and inter-agency coordination.

Financial assessments consider cost efficiency, capital investments, and long-term operating expenses under various service delivery models.

EMG Inc. is a premier consulting and training organization dedicated exclusively to emergency services and emergency management. The team assigned to this project brings extensive firsthand experience, having served in leadership roles within fire and emergency services operations.

Several deliverables expected from EMG include:

• Separate assessments for each municipality for the Community Needs Assessment/Stakeholder engagement.
• Operational, Regulatory, and Standards of Covers Analysis, and Financial Analysis. These individual assessments will be thoroughly consolidated into a comprehensive report that includes a combined strategic assessment, strategic direction and recommendations, along with an implementation plan and guideline.
• Additional risk analysis and mitigation plans will be provided.

Once the review is complete, both municipalities will receive a recommendation from the consultant on how the Town of Grimsby and the Town of Lincoln should move forward.

The review will provide a comprehensive service review and feasibility analysis of both fire services highlighting the needs, gaps, financials, operational, risks, etc. It will also provide a range of frameworks and approaches that have emerged as potential

pathways to achieve desired outcomes and efficiencies.

The report is expected to follow the principles of the Center for Public Safety

Excellence’s (CPSE) Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) to set up the framework, establish service standards, and identify measurable KPIs that would

support the pursuit of accreditation in the future.