The Kimberley Fire Department recently released the Fire Chief’s Association of British Columbia 2016 Comparative Analysis report, which shows Kimberley as having the lowest operating cost per capita, compared to other, similar near-by communities.
Fire Chief Rick Prasad presented the report to Kimberley City Council on Monday, July 9, 2018. Prasad says that the report is something Kimberley hasn’t seen before, and the findings will now become annual.
“The analysis provides information that in 2016 the Kimberley Fire Department had an operating cost of $609,697, or a per capita cost of $86.46,” explained Prasad. “When comparing to other communities with populations over 2500 in the Kootenays, Kimberley currently has the lowest cost per capita.”
The FCABC report estimated that in 2016, insurance costs without fire protection would have been $4.65 million, or $659 per person.
Prasad says that combining each person’s insurance savings with the operating cost of the Fire Department, Kimberley residents actually avoid paying $335 per year by having the department operating at its current level of service.
“In each community the level of service provided by the fire department may differ,” wrote Prasad in a summary to Council. “Some communities require additional protection from railway hazards, industrial hazards, or have geographic challenges. In many cases the provision of medical services such as first responder, a service not provided in Kimberley, can add to the annual budget.”
