Osoyoos Fire Chief Rick Jones shows off the large garage where fire trucks can be properly stored and exhaust can be properly ventilated. (Richard McGuire photo)
He didn’t describe it as moving from the outhouse to the penthouse, but Osoyoos Fire Department Chief Rick Jones was certainly smiling about moving into his impressive new $6 million dollar home away from home.
The longtime chief with the Osoyoos Fire Department was finally handed the keys to the town’s state-of-the-art fire hall last Wednesday four days before Christmas.
Construction on the fire hall began in November of 2015 and final touches were wrapped up early last week as the project finished on budget, said Jones.
During his entire 35-year association with the Osoyoos Fire Department – including the last 10 as Chief – the only home Jones had known was the small and cramped fire hall on Main Street adjacent to town hall.
The department’s contingent of almost 30 volunteers were kept very busy late last week and through the Christmas holidays transferring equipment and tools from the old hall into their new home on 74th Avenue, 150 metres west of Hwy. 97.
Jones couldn’t hide his smile or contain his enthusiasm as he took the editorial staff from the Osoyoos Times on a 90-minute tour of the new fire hall.
To say the new fire hall is impressive would be a gross understatement.
Not only is it modern and sleek, but it has all of the bells and whistles and technological gadgets that are part and parcel of running an efficient and modern fire department, said Jones.
The four bays where fire trucks will sit waiting for calls to arrive take up the majority of space.
“For 35 years, I had a couple of feet of space to work with behind the trucks at the old hall,” said Jones. “Each of our four bays is 90 feet in length. The trucks are 34 feet long, so we have all kinds of space to work with and we have 10 feet in between trucks instead of inches at the old hall.”
The majority of the department’s 30 volunteers were expected to participate in their first full practice and training session last Wednesday evening.
“The guys are really excited about moving in,” said Jones. “They weren’t showing too much excitement while it was being built … but now that they can get inside and get their feet on the floor and see the place, I know most of them are really happy and excited.”
The eastern wall of the fire hall has infrastructure built in that would allow for the construction of one or two extra bays should town council of the day decide expansion of the fire hall is necessary, said Jones.
One of the more valuable modern technical tools installed in the new hall is what is called a Nederman exhaust system.
When the fire trucks return from a call, a long hose and nozzle is hooked up to the trucks and removes exhaust using a modern ventilation system, instead of dispersing exhaust into the fire hall.
His department will keep its current fleet of rescue equipment, but is hoping to add a new rescue truck by 2019 and a new aerial truck by 2021 or 2022, said Jones.
It used to take 45 minutes to fill a tanker to capacity at the old hall, but it takes less than five minutes in the new hall, he said.
The hall is connected to the town’s water and sewer system.
There are also numerous carbon dioxide monitors in the bay area as well as central vacuuming hookups that will allow volunteers to clean the interior of vehicles after each fire call.
One of the most impressive features is the four-storey training tower.
The tower will allow volunteers to practice firefighter skills such as rapelling down the side of buildings, rescuing people from stairwells, high rope training and more, said Jones.
“We will be able to practice things we haven’t been able to practice before because we didn’t have the building to do it,” he said. “The job involves more than fighting fires … things like auto extrication and rescue and we will be able to practice regularly in this new training tower.”
The fourth floor of the training tower provides a lovely view of Osoyoos and now officially stands as the tallest building in town, said Jones.
The huge parking lot outside the building will not only allow for trucks to easily come and go from the bays, but also allows the 45-foot aerial truck to move freely without having to negotiate sharp turns, he said.
A 10,000-gallon ancillary holding tank to load water into trucks is located on the east side of the parking lot.
A large mezzanine on the second floor contains “the guts and brains” for the building as it is full of boilers, compressors, generators, pipes, electrical panels and computers that run the mechanical, heating and computer systems, he said.
There is also a large storage area for equipment.
The generator panel is so sophisticated it goes through a series of tests to ensure electricity has been knocked out and the generator then kicks in to provide necessary power until power is restored, he said.
When volunteers return from a fire, they can easily refill their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) cylinders in a matter of seconds in a new SCBA Clean Room, located on the east end of the bay area.
A huge compressor room on the eastern side of the building provides oxygen to the smaller compressor unit inside used to fill the SCBA tanks that are so crucial to firefighters when fighting fires.
A cleaning room that houses an industrial washer and dryer will be used to clean the expensive gear used by volunteers, said Jones.
The washer can clean up to five pairs of jackets and pants at one time and the dryer blows warm air to dry the gear in less than an hour, he said.
“A full set of turn out gear costs about $2,800,” said Jones. “Being able to clean and dry all of our gear, including boots and gloves, is a real nice bonus.”
Also located on the main floor are men’s and women’s washroom and shower facilities for members and two wheelchair-accessible public washrooms.
There is another storage room that allows volunteers to place materials gathered from fire scenes to be stored before being transferred to insurance companies or police as part of arson investigations.
There is also a large workshop space that will store tools and equipment and have a large workbench area.
The Turn Out Gear Room has separate portable locker stalls for each volunteer, complete with name tags, and will be used to change into their gear before and after training sessions and fire calls.
A small heating unit has been installed under each locker to warm up the gear after being used.
There is also a training room with a long table and chairs for up to 18 volunteers. There will be a projector and white board available for training purposes, said Jones.
The operations command centre will be used by lieutenants and is filled with the latest radio and telecommunications equipment needed to handle incoming fire calls and stay in communication with firefighters at fire calls.
“There’s room for four lieutenants and one radio person,” he said.
Adjacent to that room is a small office for Assistant Fire Chief Bill Roque and for the acting fire captain that day.
Jones will have his own office next to that.
The spacious main meeting room on the far east side of the building features tables and chairs for up to 36 people.
Electrical plug-ins are installed throughout the room to allow volunteers to hook up to computers, Internet and other software.
At the far south end of the meeting room is a large kitchen area.
The Town agreed to build the kitchen area, but the majority of equipment for the kitchen was purchased and paid for by volunteer members, said Jones.
Jones said Osoyoos desperately needed a new fire hall and he believes having a new fire hall and training tower will go a long way to recruiting new volunteers.
“This is a 60 to 100-year building,” said Jones. “You get what you pay for … it’s going to be around for a very long time and it has all of the things you need today to run a modern fire department.
“I think local residents are going to be very impressed and realize that this was money very well spent.”
Having better-trained volunteers is also going to eventually save lives and property from being destroyed, he said.
“That’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Because of the Christmas holidays and recent cold temperatures, Jones said an official public grand opening, complete with barbecue and children’s games, likely won’t be held until late winter or early spring, said Jones.
However, he’s “more than willing” to lead tours of the building for any interested group.
They just have to contact town hall at 250-495-6515 and staff there will forward information to him and he will arrange tours over the next several weeks, said Jones.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
Osoyoos Fire Chief Rick Jones stands in front of the bay doors to the new fire hall garage. (Richard McGuire photo)
Osoyoos Fire Chief Rick Jones shows shows the training tower at the new fire hall, which has a metal stairway. (Richard McGuire photo)
Osoyoos Fire Chief Rick Jones shows shows the view from the mezzanine overlooking the garage area for fire trucks. (Richard McGuire photo)
Osoyoos Fire Chief Rick Jones shows off the large garage where fire trucks can be properly stored and exhaust can be properly ventilated. (Richard McGuire photo)
The meeting room at the new fire hall will be used for both meetings and social events. (Richard McGuire photo)
The kitchen at the new fire hall provides facilties for meet preparation both for individual fire fighters and for smaller-scale group events. (Richard McGuire photo)
