Cochrane town council has been provided an update on the creation of a fire services plan that has now entered its second phase of development.

Cochrane fire chief Shawn Polley provided an overview of the plan at the Mar. 6 committee-of-the-whole meeting that is intended to analyze the department structure, operations, and response services. It is expected to provide recommendations for improved efficiencies to reflect the growth of the community over the next 10 years.

It also is expected to help determine satisfactory service delivery, identify current and anticipated risks, and create key performance indicators.

"This document is really critical for our service and we're looking forward to investing our time and energy, and the staff is certainly helping to bring together a significant effort and voice to the table," said Polley, "so we're really happy to hear about that."

Engagement with fire services personnel has already taken place and now interviews will be held with town administration and town councillors. 

That will be followed by a community online survey, expected to begin at the end of March into mid-April. 

"That timeline is soft right now," said Polley. "If we are seeing a lot of feedback we'll certainly open that opportunity up a little bit further because we certainly need to hear from our community." 

For the last two months, the contractor Transitional Solutions Inc. (TSI) has been gathering information, asking questions, and understanding the department and the community. 

The final draft of the plan is expected to be submitted in July and presented to town council for consideration.

Previously called a fire master plan, the last update was presented to council in 2015.

Town council approved a $90,000 budget for the plan's development in its 2022 budget.