Betty Selin & Starlee Speers - Vernon
The Okanagan Landing Volunteer Fire Department is unhappy they weren't consulted as the city looks at building two new firehalls and changing the department from volunteer to full-time firefighters. Chief, Ed Forslund, doesn't think taxpayers can afford it. Forslund says, "don't fix what's not broken." He says the department has been serving the area for 33 years and the area has not grown enough to warrant changes. The report shows a new hall in the Commonage and the Landing at a cost of more than seven-million dollars, plus increased operational costs of more than 2-million dollars over the next six years. Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert says council has not made any decisions about the report,that he says is a strategic plan for fire-rescue services. He says a working committee with members from the Landing firehall is being formed to figure out costs and what's needed in the future. Lippert says the Landing firehall responds only to fires and doesn't perform all the duties as fire rescue, like first responder and smoke complaints.
