A review and in-depth discussion of potential sites for a new Creston Fire Hall dominated the seventh meeting of the Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee (ASC) on May 2, 2018. Ernie Polsom of FireWise Consulting Ltd. led the ASC through a preliminary analysis of the four sites considered for the Fire Hall in the process leading up to the December 2017 referendum.
Polsom first referenced the B.C. Building Code, which provides the minimum requirements for health, safety and fire protection of buildings and facilities, and represents a partnership of industry practitioners, construction technology and provincial regulators. The Code contains specific reference to fire station response times, which begin when the fire department receives notification of a fire and end when the first firefighting vehicle arrives at the affected building. In the case of the Creston Fire Hall, the Code requires fire crews to arrive at residential fires in under ten minutes.
Polsom noted site selection is also contingent upon: site size (the new Creston Fire Hall would require a minimum of two acres); geotechnical factors (i.e., foundation grades, drainage issues, utility lines, etc.); costs of land and associated remediation (i.e., excavation and demolition costs, fills, etc.); and other associated factors.
With these factors in mind, the ASC made a number of preliminary observations, including:
• Site 1 (Cedar Street) presents geotechnical issues, including the cost to relocate major utility lines and to remediate existing ground problems. The potential site is split by Cedar Street, and further challenged by a nearby CPR crossing
• Site 2 (Cook Street) is adequate for Fire Hall construction, with approved location and geotechnical factors
• Site 3 (N.W. Boulevard) creates a (potential) response time of more than ten minutes
• Site 4 (Vancouver Street) requires extensive redevelopment (i.e., demolition of an existing foundation), and presents substantial grade differences and limited growth potential. In addition, the site is not functional in the deployment of firefighting vehicles
Following this discussion, the ASC made the following motions:
• Review/discussion of Fire Hall site selection options is an important topic in its own right
• Site selection is foundational in the whole process of building a new Fire Hall
• Further review of site selection is forthcoming, with particular focus upon the schematic design and geotechnical matters
The ASC’s sixth meeting was held from 6:30 to 8:28 p.m. in Council Chambers at 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, with the next meeting scheduled for May 9, 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 copies of the Fire Hall Site Options document, go to the Town of Creston website.
Submitted by Kerry McArthur | Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee Facilitator | Communications Coordinator
facilitator.cfhasc@gmail.com
