OLIVER PAIPOONGE — Public meetings are scheduled for next month to review and obtain feedback on the proposed restructuring of firefighting services in Oliver Paipoonge.
Consultants are recommending reducing the number of fire halls from six to four and building a new station at the municipal office on Highway 130 to replace the existing Rosslyn firehall.
The stations at Stanley and at Intola, near Dawson Road, would both be phased out.
"My personal opinion is that some people are not going to be happy, obviously," said Lucy Kloosterhuis, the mayor of Oliver Paipoonge. "I live in Stanley. I'm not worried about the Stanley hall or the Intola hall at this time because they have two volunteers in each hall. That's not enough to even operate the equipment."
Kloosterhuis said since Stanley and Kakabeka are only a few minutes apart, the Kakabeka station would be able to provide protection, while Intola would be served partly by the Murillo fire hall.
"And we would also get into an agreement with the City of Thunder Bay if they wish to – we would hope so – to also take care of some of the properties north of Highway 102."
Under the consultants' preferred option, the existing Stanley and Kakabeka fire stations would be consolidated into a single facility.
A report posted online states that the reconfiguration "allows for continued high-level coverage throughout the municipality, addressing both population density and call volumes."
Among the municipality's six fire halls, the Intola station responded to the fewest number of occurrences last year (18) whereas the Murillo and Rosslyn stations responded to 132 and 109 respectively.
The consultants said modelling indicates closing Intola would leave its service area just outside the target of a 10-minute travel time for response coverage, but that operational improvements such as the reassignment of firefighters, optimized deployment and route adjustments could potentially enhance both operational efficiency and response times.
"This preferred option ensures strong coverage across the municipality," the report states. "This option supports the realignment of firefighters to the stations most frequently attended for response, enhancing coordinated on-scene staffing levels and improving firefighter safety."
It cautions that, on the other hand, "The status quo will forgo the chance to consolidate staff and resources in higher risk areas of the municipality, where growth is projected."
Oliver Paipoonge currently has six pumper trucks.
The consultants note that building a new station at the municipal offices, at a cost of $3 million to $7 million, will allow for adequate storage for an aerial apparatus, should one be purchased in the future.
All the recommended changes would take place over a period of years.
"The pro, of course, is financial," Kloosterhuis said. "We feel that with our lack of volunteers, it defeats the purpose of having a fire hall, and we have to replace our equipment after 15 or 20 years. To spend three-quarters of a million dollars on a fire truck where you have two volunteers, it just isn't viable, and these halls also have to be replaced. They're older buildings."
Open houses about the proposal are scheduled for May 12 at the Rosslyn Community Hall and May 15 at the Murillo Community Hall.
The mayor said "Council has not made a decision yet. We want to go through all the hoops before we make any final decisions....We as a council, and the fire chief and the consultant want to see what the people have to say and what their concerns are."
