Last week, we told you about a new position created by the City of Portage la Prairie, called the director of public safety.

The position will oversee the fire department, RCMP contract, emergency operations centre, and bylaw enforcement, with Fire Chief Phil Carpenter assuming the role.

City Manager Jean-Marc Nadeau explains those functions were previously handled by different department heads.

"And so, by creating the Public Safety Director, and Department, we now amalgamate all these functions under one umbrella, and that allows for that department head to be able to share resources where appropriate and important. And one point of contact for the public if they need to speak to someone regarding public safety."

Nadeau points out the position doesn't mean additional costs for the City, with some of the fire chief's duties assigned to the deputy, and to fire captains.

"While it may seem that they're taking on more responsibilities, in fact, they're not. It's just that we are utilizing our resource more efficiently, more effectively. The captains, since January of 2016, have been empowered to command on the ground, rather than having to wait for a fire officer to show up on scene. And, quite frankly, they're quite happy to step up."

Nadeau feels it'll help residents communicate with the city.

"There's one point of contact, rather than trying to figure out where, within the organization, they should speak to. Internally, for us, the provincial EMO doesn't encourage city managers or CAOs to be the emergency coordination centre managers. And we're simply following their lead. If there's a situation on the ground that requires cross-training or cross-resources, it's much easier to go through one person."