Halls Manned To Reduce Fire Risk

Posted on 5/9/2016 6:53 PM by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM
Vernon firefighters will be stationed at fire halls in Okanagan Landing and Predator Ridge -- when needed -- this summer.Mayor Akbal Mund says council has given fire chief Keith Green the authority to use his resources where they are most needed, to reduce response times, and prevent what happened in Fort McMurray."You want to be prepared as much as possible, and what this does, and what he is asking for is, if he can have five people there instead of all five at the number one hall, it could make a difference in a fire getting out of hand," Mund told Kiss FM. The chief will be able to deploy two fire fighters at either station. "Predator Ridge is doing a concert with Tom Cochrane for their 25th anniversary, and it makes sense to have two fire fighters up there," adds Mund. Mund says the new policy will have no extra cost for the taxpayers. "I think that's very important." Mund says it will just be used for certain events and during high risk periods. "You can use it for training purposes as well. it just makes sense."
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Preparing for the worst
Kate Bouey - CASTANET May 9, 2016 / 4:46 pm 

Vernon fire chief Keith Green is getting ready for a long, hot summer. City council has given Green the go ahead to deploy his crews to other fire halls, including Okanagan Landing and Predator Ridge, “to most effectively minimize risk and maximize service levels.” The two halls have volunteer crews which supplement Vernon Fire Rescue Services in the event of a fire in those areas. Mayor Akbal Mund said Green “asked if he could deploy his resources to a different fire hall in light of what's happened in Fort McMurray.” “He showed he could decrease response times in certain areas of Vernon by deploying two members out at Okanagan Landing or, for example, two members at Predator Ridge for special events or high risk (times).” “There is no cost to the taxpayer for doing this,” said Mund, adding the crew members would not always be at those locations. He also pointed to a wildfire in Lake Country that broke out on Saturday and the destruction of parts of Fort McMurray. “When you see a community like Fort Mac just devastated, you want to be prepared as much as possible,” said Mund. “What this does and what he's asking for is 'if I could have two people there instead of all five at number one hall, it could make a difference' (during fire season).”