Debate, Fredrikstad fire service | We need a new preparedness analysis for Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg

There is no doubt that the future of the Fredrikstad Fire Service is engaging, and it is an important matter that must not be simplified, or made smaller than it is. For the politicians, this has been a matter that has been up for consideration in various forums in recent years, where it has largely been discussed whether the current fire station meets current requirements or not. And whether we need a new station or not.

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Now the political majority in Fredrikstad has decided that the primary focus should be on putting the current fire station in a position to serve the emergency department’s needs, and if necessary move out the functions that do not require a specialized building to function. But don’t forget that this case is not just about the station structure.

Something that is also at play in the current situation is the fire chief’s desire for a large increase in staffing of the emergency response force.

• Is it something that the Directorate for Community Safety and Emergency Preparedness (DSB) regulations require Fredrikstad municipality to implement?
• Or is this a new misinterpretation of the regulations?

According to my experience, the Fredrikstad Fire Service has never been run “illegally” or with any dispensation from the governing authorities. On the contrary, it seems that DSB has had a solid grasp of its own regulations and has seen staffing in the Fredrikstad/Sarpsborg region in its proper context. DSB actually saw that the overall basic staffing in the cities was in accordance with what is expected in the regulations.

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What DSB expects is that Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg recognize this staffing basis also formally. Here, the political issue of the large increase in staffing that the fire chief wants should probably be held up against what are the intentions and actual requirements of the current regulations.

As for the large increase in staffing, it is my clear understanding that the majority of the crews at the fire station are clear that they do not believe that this massive increase in staffing is the way to go, and if you follow the comment section under the fire chief’s last post on the matter, then creates after all, the fire chief himself doubts whether there is actually a demand for such manning.

When he himself says that Sarpsborg “doesn’t necessarily” have to carry out a similar manning when their part of the common area exceeds 50,000 inhabitants, then one must be allowed to ask why Fredrikstad “must” man up while Sarpsborg can do without? Don’t the regulations work the same on both sides of the municipal border?

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We cannot have it so that the many millions in increased annual costs can happen on an uncertain basis, because it is obvious that Fredrikstad municipality in the current situation may need these millions elsewhere? The facts must be on the table here.

As mentioned, it is precisely the fact that Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg can be considered a common area, which is the reason why the two neighboring towns can have the staffing they have today.

It turns out that DSB’s regulations actually require municipalities to cooperate on the staffing of the emergency services in a common town, but according to the fire service’s own documentation, this cooperation between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg has not been carried out. Here, a collaboration with Sarpsborg MUST be in place, and a new joint review of the staffing must be carried out, so that we do not risk a completely unnecessary increase in staffing and an interpretation of the regulations that neither city benefits from.

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In this matter, it is important that the politicians also listen to the employees and allow them to provide input on possible solutions. Against the background of all the uncertainty surrounding this case, I would strongly recommend the politicians to take a step back and look at the whole issue area again.

The business manager/fire chief should, on his own initiative, request a new preparedness analysis with a strong focus on cooperation with Sarpsborg regarding our joint extinguishing district. Here, the employees’ representatives should have a prominent role and have real participation for the benefit of the real preparedness, the economy annually and not least the need for investment in the future. Everything really depends on this readiness analysis.

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We cannot afford NOT to take another round, in order to be sure of the facts in the case, before a final decision is made. Political position in this matter is really irrelevant, and it should be in everyone’s interest to find a cross-political solution, which is agreed upon in both Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg.

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Fredrikstad municipality has guaranteed a better purpose to spend the money on than increasing the operating budget of the Fredrikstad Fire Department annually by 20–25 million. Should Fredrikstad also decide that we need a new fire station, the municipality will receive an investment in the near future of many hundreds of millions in addition.

We have a fire service in Fredrikstad to be proud of and I also hope we have a business manager/fire chief who takes the strong objections to heart and even asks for a new preparedness analysis jointly for Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg, in order to reassure both us politicians, residents and employees at what is the right way forward for such an important service as a fire service.