By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle
A piece of equipment capable of fighting fires in high-rise buildings tops the list of recommendations in the apparatus report from Osoyoos Fire Rescue (OFR) to town council.
At a recent council committee meeting, the report from fire Chief Corey Kortmeyer cited an assessment from the Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS), which rates the fire risk of municipalities across Canada. The FUS ratings are “informative when looking at minimum fleet capabilities, including water pumping and special operations like aerials,” the report said.
“Applying FUS criteria identifies several shortfalls in the (Osoyoos) fleet, particularly the lack of an aerial apparatus to protect many buildings three storeys or higher.”
Osoyoos has more than five buildings three storeys or more in height, meaning the town should add an “elevated stream device or aerial apparatus” to its fleet.
The report to council points out that the objectives of the aerial equipment would be to increase the capacity to respond to emergencies in tall buildings, protect at-risk structures and help suppress large or complex structures. As well, it would seek compliance with a number of safety organizations and protect the public and firefighters.
Specifically, the report recommends the purchase of an aerial ladder truck with a minimum 30 metre (100 foot) ladder, an integrated pumping system and on-board emergency and rescue equipment.
Of course, such a bit of gear wouldn’t be cheap. The initial cost is estimated at between $2 million and $2.2 million. Additionally, annual maintenance costs would run between $2,500 and $5,000 and the one-time training costs would be about $5,000.
The second recommendation for OFR upgrade the overall firefighting fleet with two more “frontline structural fire engines.”
According to the report, “Elements of the fleet are too old … and inadequate for timely responses across the Town of Osoyoos, Osoyoos First Nation and select areas in the Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District.”
In addition to the aerial ladder truck, the report recommends adding two fire engines with 6,800 litres per minute (1,500 gallons per minute) pumping capacity and on-board water tanks. Costs for those trucks are estimated at between $900,000 and $1.2 million each.
According to the report, the acquisition of the equipment is “a strategic, long-term investment to enhance the department’s capabilities and contribute to the community’s safety in the Town of Osoyoos, Osoyoos Indian Band lands and the OFR response areas in the Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District.”
