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RDEK seeks input on expanded fire service idea
Expansion would include Wardner and portions of Bull River and Mayook
The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is urging residents of Wardner, Bull River and Mayook to attend an important open house and community dinner next month to provide feedback on whether they would like to see a fire service expanded into their area.
“We have had many inquiries from residents asking for some kind of fire protection service in that area but we need to hear from the wider community about whether this is something they would be interested in the RDEK pursuing,” explained Building & Protective Services Manager, Sanford Brown. “This meeting is the first step and we would really like to see a strong turnout. We will have maps of where we could physically provide service and we need to hear from people about whether or not they would be interested in us looking into it further.”
There will be an open house at the Wardner Community Centre on April 5 at 1:30 p.m. followed by a free community dinner and presentations at 6 p.m.
“During the first part of the day people can come and go. There will be staff on hand to answer questions and gather feedback. At 6 p.m., we will have a beef on a bun dinner and there will be some more formal presentations,” explained Brown.
“If there is support from the community, the RDEK would consider expanding the current Jaffray Fire Protection Service to cover Wardner and portions of Mayook and Bull River,” added Brown. “Our preliminary analysis shows expanding our existing service in Jaffray is the most economical and feasible option to provide fire protection service to the Wardner area residences.”
Staff will take the information from this meeting along with an open comment period in April to determine whether there is sufficient interest in moving forward with a detailed analysis for an expanded fire service. If there is, there will be a second public meeting in mid-May, which will include specifics on the proposed boundary, structure of the service, costs, and the elector assent process.
“It’s important to understand right now we need to know if the community is interested in us looking into this concept and, if yes, what the potential boundary would be,” stressed Brown. “They will be providing us with those two pieces of the puzzle in April. Before we can go any further, we need to know these two pieces first and that’s what this open house and dinner in April is about.”
For more information, visit www.rdek.bc.ca.
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