A survey was done earlier this year to determine the future of fire protection in the RM of Morris. Reeve Ralph Groening says the survey was done by the Office of the Fire Commissioner, as a way of determining how feasible it is to continue operating three fire departments in the municipality. Reeve Groening says the results of that survey are not yet in but he's guessing within ten years the RM of Morris will "have one central fire department with stations in the smaller communities. So presumably have a large centre in Rosenort with smaller substations in Sperling and in Lowe Farm."

Reeve Groening says council recently met with the municipality's chiefs and deputy chiefs. One of the topics they discussed was compensation for firefighters. "Our firefighters and first responders receive a very nominal token amount per call. We pay them ten dollars per call," says the Reeve. "Certainly we need to come up with improvements in how we say thank you and how we acknowledge the work they do." Reeve Groening says council hasn't decided how to do this fairly but notes it's certainly on the table for discussion.

Meanwhile, the Rosenort Fire Hall received a new pumper earlier this spring. Morris council has now decided to move the secondary truck from Rosenort to Sperling. "We offered then that Lowe Farm could play a role in the secondary truck out of Sperling," says Reeve Groening. "They are going to make a decision as to what their needs are and what best serves their purposes."