The City of Dauphin has added a new position to address areas of need.
City manager Sharla Griffiths said Dauphin’s new safety manager will be responsible for fire inspections, workplace safety and health and municipal emergency measures.
The position came about as a result of Randy Daley, who served as municipal emergency co-ordinator on a contract basis, being elected to council and having to resign the position.
“When he ran for councillor, I gave him a leave of absence and because he won, then he had to resign,” Griffiths said. “So we looked at our organization and said ‘what are some of the things that we could perhaps combine to form a new full-time position?’ Workplace safety and health was getting done, but it was getting done maybe in a more disjointed way and we wanted to have a better process or better handle on that. And the fire chief has been expressing a need for some help with inspecting and other administrative functions at the fire department, so we saw this as an opportunity to combine those three roles into one position.”
Bylaw enforcement officer Conrad Demeria has been awarded the safety manager position, meaning a new bylaw enforcement officer will need to be hired, Griffiths said, adding interviews have been completed and she expects the job will be filled in the near future.
“I think it’s probably still a month away or so, and until then Conrad is providing us some basic services,” Griffiths said, adding Demeria started his new duties, Sept. 11, and like Daley, will provide emergency co-ordinator service for the Rural Municipality of Dauphin. “Right now we have a joint municipal emergency plan. It’s one plan for both municipalities.”
Griffiths added the new position was not created as part of the much-anticipated Community Safety and Well-being Plan, currently in development.
“If there is something in our community that first responders are overwhelmed with and we have to create a municipal response, then that’s where that municipal emergency co-ordinator kicks in. And then workplace safety and health is internal and fire inspections and administrative work is internal, as well,” she said. “So I actually do not see a big role for this position with (the Community Safety and Well-being Plan).”
