Two towns and R.M. partner for fire protection

“Just looking at costs and we’re in a tighter market, especially in this oil area and we’ve been looking (for) some time, as the oil economy started a downturn, where can cost savings be had, where can we be more efficient,” Reeve Glen Dow said. “One of the things that came up was, could we be more efficient in fire services. And some of our neighbouring communities were experiencing some of the same reflections as we were.”

Dow explained the area requires more specialized equipment than an R.M that is more agricultural in nature. He also said other communities may be interested in signing on, and cited the County of Vermilion River, Alta., just west of Lloydminster as a model of regional fire protection. Eight local fire departments are partners there.

Kevin Shortt, a former deputy chief of the Lloydminster Rescue Squad, has been appointed interim chief of LRPS. He said they’re going to be studying the different levels of manpower, capabilities, and training along with the needs demanded by future growth in the area.

“I think the biggest part of it is making sure you have open door communication, and always evaluating your emergency services as you move forward, because it’s an always changing and evolving situation, just making sure that you are trying to meet all emergencies with your volunteers as best you can,” Shortt said.

The agenda includes creating a working group to set the parameters for the new service and start creating a budget. By summer the new department hopes to be training and certifying its staff, with a review of the command structure. The goal is for LRPS to be fully up and running on New Year’s Day.

Geoff Smith is battlefordsNOW’s News Director, business and agriculture reporter. He can be reached at gsmith@jpbg.ca or tweet him @smithco. Concerns regarding this story can be addressed to Geoff at 306-446-6397.

by Geoff Smith

Two towns and R.M. partner for fire protection

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