City douses fire department requests

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: January 15, 2011 12:00 PM
Some potentially big-ticket expenses have been extinguished at Vernon’s fire department.  On Friday, council shot down administration recommendations to rehire a second deputy fire chief and to design a new fire hall on Bella Vista Road.  “It’s all to do with the economic times,” said Coun. Patrick Nicol. Staff had sought $130,352 for 2011 to fill the deputy chief of operations position. It became vacant through a retirement last summer, and council opted not to fill the job at that point, claiming the department had sufficient resources available.  The decision to keep the position vacant for 2011 was unanimous Friday.  “Council is trying to keep the budget really tight,” said Coun. Buffy Baumbrough of the goal of trying to keep the financial plan to no tax increase.  Baumbrough also points out that Vernon is trying to hire a new fire chief after Jeff Carlisle left for Kelowna.  “The department is in transition and I’d like to have the permanent chief in place and then they can determine where the department proceeds with a deputy chief,” she said.  Presently, the department has an interim fire chief and a deputy chief of prevention.  Administration had also sought $225,000 to hire an architectural/engineering firm to locate a site for the Bella Vista fire hall and develop conceptual designs.  Instead, the Bella Vista proposal will be added to a review of a possible fire hall at Predator Ridge. The review cost is $60,000.
Council has also specified that if a Bella Vista fire hall does open, it will utilize volunteer firefighters and not full-time career staff. In a memo to council, Carlisle stated that a Bella Vista hall would have annual operating costs of $800,000.  “In no way do we envision career firefighters out there,” said Coun. Shawn Lee.  That direction is also supported by Coun. Jack Gilroy, a former firefighter. “We need a fire hall but we have capable volunteers that can drive a truck,” said Gilroy.  Carlisle’s report stated it would cost about $2.5 million to buy land and build a hall, while $1.1 million would be needed for fire trucks.  Canadian Lakeview Estates residents have complained that the current Okanagan Landing fire hall is too far away to respond during an emergency, and they say the distance from the hall impacts their insurance rates. “We need a hall closer so those people can get relief on their insurance. It doesn’t matter, though, if it’s a volunteer fire hall or full-time career staff,” said Gilroy.