The majority of the Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee’s (ASC) fifth meeting was spent posing questions regarding the Creston Fire Department Interim Measures Report to Ernie Polsom of FireWise Consulting Ltd.
Held April 11, 2018, the meeting addressed numerous aspects of the report, establishing that: as the employer, the Town of Creston (TOC) has a responsibility to prioritize legislated and safety aspects of fire protection; WorkSafeBC issues orders primarily to those organizations that do not voluntarily address workplace safety issues; the ASC will revisit the Fire Hall spatial analysis drafted by the TOC in 2017 to consider revisions to it, which may be more cost-effective than initiating a new analysis; the ASC will continue to review the report’s recommendations to better establish spatial, legislative and full-service fire department requirements; and other related discussion points.
Following the evening’s discussion, the ASC offered the following:
• The ASC looks forward to the construction of a new Fire Hall to serve Creston and the Creston Valley.
• Creston Fire Rescue is currently in the process of implementing short-term and interim measures recommended by FireWise, including the relocation of fulltime fire department staff from the Fire Hall to Town Hall.
• The ASC accepts both the FireWise interim measures report and an accompanying industrial hygienist review as supporting documentation and as grounds to move forward.
The ASC’s fifth meeting was held at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Chambers of the Town of Creston’s Town Hall. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on select Wednesday evenings from April to June 2018.
The ASC was formed to make recommendations to Council on solutions to address the deficiencies of the existing Fire Hall, in order to meet the province’s legislative/regulatory requirements and industry standards.
To read FireWise’s Creston Fire Department Interim Measures Report, the industrial hygienist’s review and a number of supporting documents, click here.
Submitted by Kerry McArthur | Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee Facilitator | Communications Coordinator