Fire facility master plan provides insight on upgrades needed for Kimberley’s fire halls

Kimberley’s fire department says a plan is needed to address fire facility upgrades going forward.

City Council was presented with a fire facility master plan, providing insight on what expenses the city would face to upgrade Kimberley’s fire halls to modern standards.

CAO Scott Sommerville says the document outlines several issues to be addressed with both fire halls and the fire practical training facility in the city.

“The fire hall in city hall, we know we have to order custom trucks, which are lower. Probably $200,000 – $250,000 more per truck to fit them in the hall that we have,” Sommerville says. “The Marysville hall, that’s not the ideal place to have the ladder truck. That should be closer to the multi-story buildings downtown or up at the resort.”

The fire facility master plan says facilities in the city require significant investments and replacement to ensure the viability of the City’s fire protection system.

Sommerville says the document provides valuable information on what costs the city could face to keep the city’s fire facilities up to date.

“Its important to weigh these facility issues along with the rest of the recreational facility issues we have, but I don’t think there’s as much structures now that we can work with,” Sommerville says. “A financial request of this magnitude, its important to get in front of council and do some long-range planning. There’s really no simple fix for these issues.”

You can view the full report on the city’s website.

– City of Kimberley CAO Scott Sommerville