There is a new contract for Swift Current's firefighters after city council approved of the five-year deal with the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) on Monday night.

Talks began back in mid-October (with the current deal set to expire at the end of the year) between the City and the IAFF and it took about two weeks to nail down the new framework for the crew of 16 City firefighters.

City of Swift Current Chief Administrative Officer Tim Marcus said the negotiation process went smoothly for the deal which runs until December 31, 2023.

"I've been involved in negotiations over the years in a lot of different environments and in private business as well and to be able to just sit down and have that great relationship with the local union and be able to come to an agreement without any other negotiators in the room was tremendous," he told Swift Current Online.

A few of the notable changes in the contract is the new position of lieutenant will be added to each crew, about a two-per-cent increase to wages each year, and a progressive reduction to years of service for more vacation time.

"It's different when both sides can look at it from a win-win situation, in other words, what's going to work for us but also for them, moreso than just being us winning and you're losing or vice-versa," Marcus said. "When both sides are looking together in terms of coming up with something that works good for them and is good for us is a lot easier if that's what you start out with as your goal."

The new contract will only cover the four four-person crews and won't include the fire chief and the two deputy fire chief positions.