Response times reduced as a result of Markham and Barrie fire services dispatch agreement

March 16, 2023, Markham, Ont. – Markham Fire & Emergency Services (MFES) has improved its responsiveness with an average decrease in “call to customer” time of 60 seconds across the majority of incidents, meaning quicker arrival. The improved response times are a result of a now one-year-old dispatch service agreement between the City of Markham and Barrie Fire & Emergency Service (BFES), which sees BFES providing 24/7 emergency call-taking and dispatch service to MFES.

Since the implementation of the service agreement, MFES has modernized emergency services tools including upgraded technology on all MFES firetrucks. Each firetruck is equipped with a tablet that allows firefighters to see information in real time.