By Barb Brouwer
Contributor
Road rescue is provided through a variety of organizations within the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
This service is currently provided by a combination of municipal fire departments and road rescue organizations including Salmon Arm Rescue Unit and Eagle Valley Road Rescue.
Derek Sutherland, general manager of community and protective services, said the North Shuswap, Sorrento-Blind Bay and Falkland areas are under-serviced in terms of road rescue.
The Chase Volunteer Fire Department provides the service to the North Shuswap and Sorrento-Blind Bay, but travelling such long distances to respond can leave Chase under-protected in the event of a fire in that community.
And road rescue service to Falkland is provided by the Vernon Fire Rescue Service located some 44 kilometres away.
Since 2014 and with a variety of consultants, the regional district has tried to gain a better understanding of road rescue and potential opportunities for the CSRD to support the service. In early 2023, Tim Pley and Associates (TPA) was hired to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study to determine the options for these under-serviced areas.
“This is something I’ve dealt with since I came onboard in 2017,” said Sutherland about the need for improved road rescue service. “This is not a local responsibility, it’s provincial, but local residents have asked us to look into it and we’ve also been asked by outside fire departments.”
TPA met virtually with regional district staff followed by a comprehensive document review that included CSRD bylaws, policies and procedures, previous consultant reports and the province’s road rescue policy. The consultant also met with representatives of the two road rescue societies, the fire chiefs from fire departments in Anglemont, Celista, Scotch Creek and Shuswap, and with the fire chief from the Chase Volunteer Fire Department.
Meetings were also held with Ministry of Emergency Management Climate Readiness staff to assess the status of the current work being done to establish a provincial governance and funding structure for road rescue services.
And a benchmark survey was conducted with three other regional districts that currently have departments providing road rescue services.
A draft report, including a proposed operating model, equipment requirements, start-up and operating costs, was provided for review by CSRD staff whose feedback was incorporated into the final report.
“The report includes observations and recommendations that would provide for better service coverage that is delivered in a more timely and reliable manner,” reads TPA’s executive summary. “It provides the board a full understanding of the issues and options should it decide to develop a road rescue capability amongst its fire departments.”
The 82-page report included 22 recommendations, which will go before the CSRD board meeting for discussion in June. If directors decide to move ahead with providing road rescue service through fire departments in the North Shuswap, Sorrento/Blind Bay and Falkland, it cannot be done under the CSRD’s current fire suppression bylaw. Changes would have to be made with the assent of residents of those communities by referendum.
“The province has an antiquated model for road rescue in under serviced areas,”said Sutherland. “As a result, many areas are funding road rescue through local taxation rather than the province picking up the tab.”
Read more: CSRD looks to fill gaps in road rescue services in North Okanagan-Shuswap
Read more: Shuswap resident raises alarm over need for local road rescue service
