A presentation by Debbie Cherkas of Creston’s Affordable Fire Hall Committee provided the highlight for the Advisory Select Committee’s (ASC) 12th meeting June 6, 2018.
Ms. Cherkas first acknowledged the Town of Creston’s failed borrowing referendum, suggesting it was project costs, not the need for a new fire hall, that was in question. “As we all know, (Creston) needs a new fire hall,” she said. “Price point is the main bone of contention in this case.”
Her half-hour presentation was based on the Committee for an Affordable Fire Hall’s investigations of fire hall building costs in Alberta (including the stations at Brooks and Red Deer), in British Columbia (Kelowna, East Sooke, Osoyoos, Bowen Island and View Royal) and Ontario (Stouffville). She noted the common denominator for these fire halls is that they are constructed from engineered steel.
The Committee for an Affordable Fire Hall’s presentation also compared building costs of the Brooks Fire Hall and Creston’s proposed Fire Hall. Amongst the recommendations posed by Ms. Cherkas was that rather than adding a health and wellness room to Creston’s proposed Fire Hall, the ASC should consider a $10,000 infrared sauna containing four stationary bikes (as per Red Deer Station #4). This option would allow Creston firefighters to “sweat out carcinogens” at a reduced cost, she said.
Other suggestions to follow Brooks’ lead included establishing not a roof-top patio but a patio at the back of the Fire Hall, as well as adding four dormitory rooms with bunk beds rather than small rooms with single beds.
The second objective of this ASC meeting was to review a Communications Plan featuring two Open Houses June 24 and 25, 2018 at the Creston & District Community Complex. The Committee approved the idea to include in each Open House a presentation (to be provided by FireWise Consulting Ltd. consultants), followed by small group roundtable discussions, and finally a reporting back to the entire group.
The ASC’s 12th meeting was held from 6:30 to 8:24 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 throughout 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 view the latest ASC Meeting materials, click here.
Submitted by Kerry McArthur | Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee Facilitator | Communications Coordinator
