Greenwich, Wolfville fire departments will not merge, despite years of talks

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Nova Scotia·New

A three-year-long saga that began with an abrupt assembly determination to adjacent the Greenwich section has ended with a determination not to merge with the Wolfville department.

The 2 departments successful the Annapolis Valley couldn't hold connected a determination for a caller occurrence hall

Linus Mulherin · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 41 minutes ago

3 achromatic and reddish occurrence trucks basal successful beforehand of a grey and reddish building

The main of the Greenwich Fire Department says nary 1 successful his presumption oregon assemblage is shedding tears implicit the illness of years-long merger talks with the Wolfville occurrence department.

"So acold we've had each affirmative comments connected that decision," said Jason Ripley. "General sentiment among the members of the occurrence section is alleviation that the idea's not going forward."

The three-year-long saga began successful Feb. 2022 erstwhile the Municipality of the County of Kings voted to abruptly adjacent the 39-member section successful Greenwich, citing the outgo savings of having Wolfville supply occurrence extortion for the area.

The municipal council reversed its determination aft a nationalist backlash, and the 2 departments agreed to prosecute a merger statement successful April 2023.

However, successful a announcement posted connected its website past month, the Town of Wolfville announced those negotiations had travel to an end.

"It was yet determined the merger could not proceed erstwhile the determination of a caller occurrence hallway could not beryllium decided," reads the statement.

"The Town of Wolfville and the Municipality of the County of Kings person alternatively agreed to absorption connected renewing their existent intermunicipal occurrence work statement and moving toward gathering a caller occurrence presumption to service the Wolfville Fire District."

The Wolfville section volition proceed to service Wolfville and the surrounding communities, portion the Greenwich section has signed a five-year declaration to supply services for the Municipality of the County of Kings.

"More oregon little successful presumption of front-facing work there'll beryllium nary quality to the public," said Ripley.

The determination means the eventual dissolution of the Greenwich Fire Commission "to let for a modernization of the governance operation for the occurrence service," according to the statement.

Ripley said it will let the section to straight negociate its assets and services and streamline its operations.

He declined to remark connected what caused the disagreement connected the determination of the caller occurrence station, saying the conversations went connected down closed doors.'