Moment with the Mayor: Fire Hall

Hi Everyone:

The fire hall conversation held at Council last week is the first of many discussions we will be having as we juggle our budget and capital requirements. It was a sobering conversation, and as one Councillor put it, “depressing.”

We need a new fire hall. Our current facility is too small and requires our firefighters to spend extra time cleaning up and preparing trucks and equipment for the next response. This is not only a burden for the men and women fighting fires, it is also a burden for the businesses employing these men. They lose productivity and it can be a challenge for many of them to be able to effectively serve their customers. Also, due to lack of appropriate space in the current fire hall, the firefighters have to go home with contaminated clothing and wash it there. Clothes stained by toxins (and even body parts) are taken home to be washed. This is not how I would understand ‘safe,’ and our firefighters agree.

The RM of Kindersley, who is a good neighbour, has offered to put $500,000 towards the new facility – one that will properly house the command trucks and the pending purchase of a land fire truck. From the Town’s perspective, we need a larger building for a ladder truck. The expected cost of the facility ranges from $2 million to $3 million. I have to confess to some sticker shock regarding the price. However, I should note, sticker shock is something that I am unfortunately getting used to.

No decision has been made on the site for a new fire hall. The report presented to Council identified some potential locations: 1) Railway Ave near 2^nd St E, 2) Ditson Road north of the railway tracks, 3) Main St and 4^th Ave E, 4) Hwy 21 on Town-owned land, and 5) expanding the existing location. None of the locations is ideal for a variety of reasons. One of the most important considerations is response times. If the response times are too high - 9 minutes or more – then not only is public safety a greater concern but insurance companies will raise our interest rates to reflect the longer response times.

As a result of the discussion, Council has made three requests: 1) That the Fire Department and Town engineers work on strategies to reduce the cost of the new facility, 2) That Administration is to check with the land owners on Railway Ave E to see if it is available and at what cost, and 3) That the Fire Department determine if it is possible to generate more revenue (this is a whole other topic because often insurance reimburses at a rate less than our costs).

Please write or phone if you would like me to discuss a particular topic. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at the town office or email me at mayorenns-wind@kindersley.ca. You can also check out my blog at http://mayorjohn.blogspot.ca/. I appreciate your feedback.