What level of fire protection do the residents of Blackpool want and how much are they willing to do and pay to get there?
Those were the questions that Scott Thomas, the new chief of the Blackpool Volunteer Fire Department, and deputy fire chief Mike Savage wanted answers to during a presentation madeTuesday, March 15, at Blackpool Hall.
The presentation was part of townhall meeting held by Carol Schaffer, Thompson-Nicola Regional District director for Area A (Wells Gray Country).
The fire department is well-equipped and working on a 20-year plan of improvements, Thomas and Savage said.
However, with just 16 members they barely have enough firefighters to cover a basic callout.
If things get more complicated or if members are away on a highway rescue call (there is quite a bit of overlap with Clearwater and District Highway Rescue), then they are dependent on mutual aid from Clearwater.
“We need people,” Savage said. “Sixteen is not enough. At a fire we need at least two two-person attack teams, and then we need a rescue team to get us out if there's a problem. Add to that the pump operator, the safety officer, the incident commander and we need a minimum of 10 just to roll.”
Improvements done recently include having a generator at the firehall so it can operate even if there is no power, a well at the hall to fill the tanker and bladders, and an extension on the hall to house a second fire engine when they get it.
Waiting for Trans Mountain decision
One of the other topics discussed during the meeting was progress on developing a community park on land adjacent to Blackpool Hall.
Longtime resident Hans Krauseneck said former TNRD director Bert Walker had obtained funds to improve the park 10 years ago.
“All we wanted was to clear the land, level it, and seed some grass. That would have done the trick,” he said. “Now you're talking $203,000. Who wants to spend $203,000 on a park?”
Wells Gray Country services coordinator Sherri Madden said just doing the ground work for the park would cost $30,000 to $40,000 – work that Kinder Morgan has offered to do for free.
While the existing pipeline is on the far side of the proposed park, the right-of way runs right through the middle of it. If the pipeline is twinned as proposed, the second line would run on the side closer to the hall. Any improvements done beforehand would therefore be torn up.
The federal government recently postponed making a decision on the pipeline project until December.
The postponement means that the park project likely will not go ahead before the spring of 2018, said Schaffer.
“We will know one way or another in December ... unless they postpone again,” said Schaffer.
Schaffer said she would like to hold a townhall meeting in each of the four sections of Area A each year.
She held a meeting in Vavenby the evening before the one in Blackpool.
The meeting for East Blackpool likely will be held later in the spring so it can be done outside, as there is no community hall there.
The meeting for Upper Clearwater likely will also be held outside later in the spring because of the controversy involving the hall there.