Kristi Patton - Penticton Western News Published: April 06, 2010 6:00 PM
A vital component to training RDOS firefighters locally has been put on hold because of the tight economy. Dale Kronebusch, emergency services co-ordinator for the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, said the plans for a regional emergency training facility “died at the budget level.” This means RDOS firefighter units must continue to stretch their budgets to travel elsewhere to get the training that is so important for their safety and the safety of others. “It’s absolutely huge because the training is vital for them.” said Kronebusch. “It’s a difference between fighting fire safe and not safe, and maybe having some accidents happen at the scene of a fire. The whole difference is right there. It’s the educational component for the volunteer firefighters that is just critical in being safe.”
The concept of a regional training centre was brought forward by the Regional Joint Fire Chiefs Committee, made up of all seven regional district fire departments, as well as the municipal fire departments, forestry and First Nations bands in 2005. A provincial grant of $25,000 was used to determine what the needs were, such as gas props, search and rescue buildings, burn buildings, electrical props, driver training and other specialized training. In January 2009, the RDOS agreed to terms of a memorandum of understanding with the City of Penticton regarding the construction of a regional emergency training centre — Penticton was also looking at rebuilding their training facility. It was set to a timeline for November to complete an analysis, including determining a cost for the project which was estimated at $100,000 to $200,000 annually to operate. It was also projected that the building could double-up as an emergency operations centre in case of wildfire or floods. This proposal was defeated by the RDOS board. “We certainly hope it will come back in the future. It is a great opportunity, a great function. There is just a new cost that they weren’t willing to look at this time,” said Mark Woods, RDOS community services manager.
“The reality of it is that training is still going to have to happen. We want to really promote the train the trainer idea. So that if we have a limited number of folks that are available because of the budget they go get a higher level of training. Then they are able to go to back to their community and train their fellow firefighters in that specialized evolution. They become the resident expert in whatever the course was on, for example confined spaces.” Currently firefighters throughout the region travel to a facility in Vernon or the Lower Mainland. Kronebusch said firefighters are completing the training there, but some of it may or may not be a certified program like the one that was planned for Penticton’s Fire Hall number two on Dawson Avenue. It is also expensive to have to go outside the area in order to get the live fire component. Kronebusch added that firefighters would get the training more frequently and at less of an expense to the departments, especially for the small communities that have smaller budgets. He said at a cost of around $1,000 to $3,000 per student to take courses in Vernon, plus overnight hotel expenses, it can be pricey for firefighters who may be travelling from as far away as Princeton.
“There is some pretty tough economic times here in this region and realistically those are the real problems and situations ... if (the training centre) is built within the region any money that comes for travel, eating, hotels would all stay here. If we start going down to a different region, well then that means the funding, or the taxpayers money, is all being spent outside the region,” said Kronebusch, adding that Penticton already has all the amenities and infrastructure to support a regional emergency training centre. The training centre would also need the hiring of a half-time employee to run it, do the organizing and the teaching aspect of it. Kronebusch said there is also an opportunity to see if Okanagan College would be on board to use their classrooms. Responding to the question of putting the onus on the firefighters to pay for the out-of-town training, the emergency services co-ordinator said it just wouldn’t be fair. “It shouldn’t cost you to be a volunteer firefighter and dedicating your time and efforts to the community. It’s hard enough already. It’s really hard because we have to make it so it is fun and an attractive thing to volunteer,” said Kronebusch.
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