District of Squamish officials should pour some money on the fire department now, before bills flare up, consultants warned this week.
On Tuesday (April 2), Dave Mitchell and Associates Ltd. presented the draft master fire plan to council at its Committee of the Whole meeting. The document highlighted three impending concerns, as well as the big question of constructing a third fire hall.
The well-documented seismic flaws of Fire Hall 2, on Tantalus Way, need to be addressed, company principal Dave Mitchell said. Built in 1978, the structure was initially used by the RCMP and B.C. Ambulance Service. The report included pictures of cracks running up the building's brick wall. Studies have indicated the hall's foundations sit in an area that could experience liquefaction during an earthquake, causing portions of the building to collapse.
Replacing the fire hall could cost up to $8 million, Mitchell said. He suggested the district look at stabilizing the structure. Later on Tuesday, at its regular business meeting, council approved $15,000 be put toward seismic upgrades on the hall this year and $340,000 be put toward the building in 2014.
In approximately 10 years, municipal officials may be faced with the need for a third fire hall, Mitchell said. The district has been setting aside money for the department's capital requirements, but borrowing will almost certainly be required, the draft plan noted. It recommends municipal officials purchase or acquire land for the new facility in the northern portion of the district.
This is certainly a long-term issue, Mitchell said, but warned it comes with a big bill.
In the more immediate time frame, municipal officials will have to deal with the department's staffing, he said. Some of the department's career firefighters are gearing up for retirement, Mitchell noted. District officials should also come up with a plan to help aid volunteer firefighter retention, he said.
Although Squamish will never have a fire rescue service comprised entirely of career firefighters, officials should consider adding to its head count, Mitchell said. Compared to jurisdictions of a similar size and risk, the district has relatively few firefighters, particularly during business hours on weekdays, the report stated. A fire typically extends beyond its room of origin in eight to 10 minutes. Career firefighters have a faster response time than volunteers, because they don't add the journey to the hall onto their overall response time, Mitchell said.
A fire last summer demonstrated this fact, he said. During the day a career firefighter crew was called out to a blaze in Squamish, arriving eight minutes after the initial call. Later that evening, the fire re-ignited, and the volunteer crew was on scene 11 minutes after the initial call came in.
An additional two firefighters would provide a second day shift of career firefighters to ensure continuous, seven-day-per week coverage, Squamish Fire Chief Russ Inouye said.
For an interior fire attack we need a minimum of four people to go inside for 10 minutes, he said.
Fire apparatus represents a significant capital investment, Mitchell said. He recommends a capital replacement plan be developed to ensure money is available for that purpose. The Fire Underwriters propose a life-cycle for equipment of 20 to 25 years. If the district doesn't invest in such renewal, its fire rating dished out by the risk management service could drop. While the municipality might save tax dollars, the result is home and business owners will hand out more in insurance costs, Mitchell warned.
Coun. Doug Race questioned how the proposed liquefied natural gas facility at the former Woodfibre site would affect the district's fire services. That question would require its own study, replied Geoff Lake of Dave Mitchell and Associates Ltd. Likely the facility would have its own internal fire department, but it might add considerable expenses to the municipal department, he said.
As part of an agreement with the district, the Woodfibre pulp mill had its own fire service, Mayor Rob Kirkham said.
