Fire departments in Ashcroft, Spences Bridge, Cook’s Ferry, Savona, Skeetchestn, and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) will be receiving a share of more than $9 million from the province to fund training and new equipment that will strengthen their emergency response.
The announcement came on March 14, with the province stating that 130 projects for more than 230 volunteer and composite fire departments throughout B.C. would be receiving funds through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF). Established in 2017, the CEPF has disbursed approximately $310 million to local governments and First Nations for some 2,300 projects that help communities prepare for disasters and climate-related emergencies.
More than $26 million of the funding dispersed through the CEPF since 2017 has been directed to volunteer and composite fire departments for additional equipment and training. Composite fire departments are those that have a mix of paid staff and volunteers.
The fire departments benefiting from the latest round of funding include:
Ashcroft Fire Rescue: $36,447 for firefighter training
Cook’s Ferry Fire and Emergency Services: $40,000 for equipment and personal protective equipment
Merritt Fire Department: $40,000 to upgrades for breathing air compressor
Savona Fire Department: $40,000 for equipment upgrades
Skeetchestn Indian Band: $40,000 for fire department equipment
Spences Bridge Fire Department: $40,000 for fire department equipment
Thompson-Nicola Regional District: $360,000 for fire department equipment and training
Watch Lake–North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department: $39,800 for turnout gear replacement, safety equipment upgrades, and training programs
Chief Josh White of Ashcroft Fire Rescue says that this year’s funding will be going towards training for all the firefighters in the department.
“We got a quote from our provincial fire safety guys for our exterior operations program. It covers all our basic firefighting training, from ropes and knots and deployment of hose lines to truck driving operations.
“The rookies get a chance to get put through the program, and it’s a good refresher for the veterans, because training never stops, and they always learn new things along the way. What might have been protocol one year might change and there might be a variation, so we’re always learning something new, always evolving.
“It’s never the same thing year after year. Putting water on the red stuff never changes, but every second is critical, so if there’s something where we can change our ways and that makes us faster and more efficient, we’re ahead in the game.”
Jason Tomlin, the TNRD’s manager of fire protection services, says that the $360,000 represents $40,000 for each of the nine TNRD-operated fire departments, and will go towards some much-needed equipment.
“It will help firefighters be compliant with turnout gear and associated fire equipment,” he explains. “Turnout gear ages out at 10 years, and we never want to be in a position where we have to replace 20 sets at $4,000 a pop, so we try to buy a few sets each year. It helps us out considerably, as it doesn’t come out of the operational budget and our tax base.”
Other equipment the TNRD is looking to purchase includes seven high-volume fire pumps. Tomlin adds that there will still be a focus on training, but they are able to use a lot of in-house expertise for that. “It means we can be a little more cost-effective in that area.”
He notes that the ongoing tariff dispute with the U.S. is a consideration when looking at purchases. “A lot of gear, or textiles to build the gear, comes from the States. We do our best to buy Canadian where we can, but that’s not always possible.”
