The Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee heard Ernie Polsom’s Final Report at their eighth meeting.
The report featured ten recommendations and referenced the complex regulatory and practical considerations involved in fire station design in BC. As well the Committee toured around the current fire hall.
According to the Committee’s update:
- The report’s first recommendation is to ensure the functional design of the new Fire Hall is left to a professional design team that must include an architect, as required by legislation. Beyond the nondiscretionary aspects of a new fire station, this consultation should focus on the discretionary (nonmandatory) aspects of the project.
- The report’s second recommendation is to select one of two downtown locations for the new Fire Hall: “These sites are Extra Foods Site 2 (Cook Street) and Bunker Site 4 (Vancouver Street).” Based on Polsom’s professional expertise, no other sites offer the same essential combination of space, functionality and response time.
- Third, the FireWise report suggests that other potential occupants of the new Fire Hall (i.e., BC Ambulance and Search and Rescue) give due consideration to deadlines in the design process; if these parties are not able to respond in a timely manner, “the project should focus on development of a fire station that meets the needs of the Town and its regional partners, and may include opportunities for expansion at a future time.”
- Among the remaining recommendations (including that the Fire Hall should reflect the architectural industry’s best practices, and that Creston Fire Rescue develop a long-term strategic plan for the Fire Hall), Polsom advises that the employer has a “duty of care” to provide amenity areas with fitness and wellness facilities supporting the physical and mental health of volunteer and career staff.
The ASC made the following observations in closing:
- The ASC thanked Polsom for his excellent work, including the report and its recommendations.
- ASC’s goal is to disseminate factual information to the Creston Valley community.
- The ASC is focused upon building a long-term Creston Fire Hall specific to B.C.’s regulatory requirements.
The Committee meets again on Wednesday May 16th at 6.30 pm.