A presentation by FireWise Consulting Ltd. Associate Ernie Polsom was the focus of the fourth meeting of the Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee (ASC) held on April 4, 2018. The presentation and associated report outlined 19 recommendations for Creston Fire Rescue’s risk assessment practices, procedural documentation, facilities and equipment, and included a recommendation to make the Town’s existing Fire Hall “an ‘operations only’ facility,” with all fire department personnel being relocated into other facilities.
Following the hour-long presentation, the ASC offered the following observations on the report’s recommendations:
- There is an immediate urgency to address deficiencies in the existing Fire Hall for the safety of staff and volunteer firefighters.
- Inaction is not an option.
Outside of the scope of Polsom’s presentation, general comments of note were offered by Committee members:
- The Committee for an Affordable Fire Hall was not a “No” Committee; the emphasis was on affordability.
- Trust, a forward-looking perspective, a solutions-oriented approach, a focus on affordability and the ability to rely on the accuracy of information that the ASC receives is considered key.
The ASC’s fourth meeting was held at 6:30 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 Ernie Polsom’s Creston Fire Department Interim Measures Report and presentation, click here.
Submitted by Kerry McArthur Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee Facilitator / Communications Coordinator
