Intense pressure is growing to amalgamate Okanagan Landing’s fire hall with the overall service in Vernon. Staff lobbied council Wednesday to consider integrating the operations of the Vernon and Landing fire departments under one roof and financially for tax purposes. “There is one city. This (Okanagan Landing) is not a separate community,” said Leon Gous, chief administrative officer. When Okanagan Landing was annexed into Vernon in 1993, the city entered into a contract with the volunteer-based Okanagan Landing Fire Department Association to provide fire suppression services there. The hall continues to function separately from the Vernon hall.
In terms of taxes, Okanagan Landing residents pay separately for their service, while the rest of Vernon contributes taxes towards operations at the downtown hall. City staff insists integrating the two halls would manage the city’s liability better and increase utilization of manpower levels. “They (Landing volunteers) will respond to emergencies there and be called on to respond to other emergencies in Vernon,” said Jeff Carlisle, Vernon fire chief. If integration occurs, Carlisle does not see full-time career firefighters being stationed at the Landing hall for the first year because minimum duty strengths must be maintained at the Vernon hall. However, more career firefighters could be hired in subsequent years for the Landing hall. Gous says there are no attempts to get rid of the volunteers. “What we do today doesn’t reflect on what they have delivered,” he said of the years of service.There is also currently a volunteer component at the Vernon hall.
Staff also state that while Okanagan Landing residents receive non-suppression services like medical first responders, they aren’t paying for them and the taxpayers for the rest of the city are subsidizing them by $489,000 a year. “All services would be provided equitably and taxed equitably,” said Carlisle of integration. Council did not take any immediate action and will study the information from staff before discussing the matter again Monday. “We need to see the effect for Landing residents and the rest of the city,” said Coun. Bob Spiers.
If two separate services were to continue, an average home in the Landing would pay $165 a year while a home in Vernon would pay $215 (both having a base taxation of $840). Under integration, there would no longer be separate tax bills for fire suppression and each home would have a base taxation of $1,037. Coun. Mary-Jo O’Keefe is concerned that shifting administration could negatively impact the Landing volunteers. “They have functioned autonomously so it would be different. We have to be conscious of the role volunteers play,” she said. As part of Monday’s discussions, council wants to see if a separate contract with the Landing fire department association could continue if it included other services like first responders and hazardous materials response.
Ed Forslund, Landing fire chief, is familiar with the city’s financial arguments for integration. “They are probably correct in saying Landing residents aren’t being taxed for some services but if there’s an administration problem, fix it and don’t throw out a fire department that is working,” he said. Forslund believes that by using a totally volunteer force, a cost-effective service can be provided. “Why are we trying to fix something that isn’t broken? We have never received a complaint from anyone, including the city,” he said. Forslund says his force would consider taking on additional duties, and he challenges suggestions from city staff that Landing firefighters aren’t as well trained as their Vernon counterparts. “We have provided the city with all of our training records. We are trained as adequately as any other volunteer department in the North Okanagan,” he said.
If there is any community that should or has a right to be leery of attempts at amalgamation, it is Okanagan Landing. Anyone who was around during the amalgamation of the Landing into Vernon knows that it did not go over well. The citizens were promised things that never evolved and have witnessed urban sprawl creep into their community. And now the city wants to take steps to integrate, or amalgamate, the Okanagan Landing Fire Department with the Vernon hall. This story has been brewing since word leaked out about the plan during the municipal election campaign, even though nobody bothered to consult with the Landing fire department about the project that would lead to its eventual demise. No wonder there's both a lack of trust and a feeling of a lack of appreciation on the side of the fine volunteers that have so faithfully manned the Okanagan Landing Fire Hall so capably all these years. City staff says the integration makes sense from a financial standpoint as it would bring the Landing in line with the rest of the city for both what they pay for fire protection and how they are serviced. That's the black-and-white answer on why it makes sense but it hardly covers the nuances of a situation that includes the potential of replacing volunteers with paid professionals, a proud tradition of a fire hall led and operated by volunteers that's not been given the respect it deserves, not to mention the lingering lament of amalgamation of the Landing in the first place. A good first step in finding the best outcome for all concerned would be to acknowledge it's a complex situation and all sides deserve respect.
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