Grand Forks
Gazette
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012
❚ EMERGENCY SERVICES
❚ Fructova concert
page 17 Thate at Boundary Museum on July 28.
VOL 115 NO. 29
❚ MARSHALL LAKE
Grand Forks Fire Rescue Greenwood won’t take eyeing new fire engine over Providence Dam CASSANDRA CHIN Gazette Reporter
Grand Forks Fire Rescue volunteer firefighter Bob Van and Fire Chief Dale Heriot testing out a fire engine at the Grand Forks City Fire Hall on June 28. CASSANDRA CHIN PHOTO
CASSANDRA CHIN Gazette Reporter
Grand Forks Fire Rescue is looking to purchase a new fire engine to replace the department’s older vehicle. Dale Heriot, Grand Forks Fire Rescue chief, noted that the new fire engine would be replacing an older engine by next year. “We are looking to replace our current fire engine truck by the end of 2013,” he explained. “As a fire department, when we purchase equipment we don’t purchase it for where we are today, we purchase it for what we figure will happen 20 years down the road because they last us 20-plus years.” Heriot is hoping to have a fire engine ordered sometime next year because it takes up to a year to custom build each fire engine. “It’s not like a car lot where you can just pick one up, most times you have to order them and they build them to your specifications,” he added. “We are looking at replacing our current ladder truck with a 100-foot (about 30.5 metres) ladder truck.” Part of the reason the Grand Forks Fire Rescue
is looking at a ladder truck is due to the possibility of a developing city. As the area continues to grow, Heriot pointed out that there might be a chance of the population doubling within the next 20 years. “We have to speculate this way because if we didn’t and it did double, and we’re not prepared for it, we can’t protect the community properly,” Heriot said. Another reason has to do with Roxul Inc.’s expansion and Interfor upgrading its facilities. The 30.5-metre ladder would allow the firefighters to reach a higher elevation for a water stream to protect the facilities. At the moment, the tallest ladder the fire department has is 15 metres long, so the additional height of the ladder is also being considered for its added reach. “The new Silver Kettle Village is a big development and for us to manage a rescue, we need to be able to reach into some of those third storey balconies to get people,” explained Heriot. “With anything shorter, it will be really tough to get into there when you take into account landscaping and everything else.”
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At its last council meeting on July 9, the City of Greenwood decided not to take over responsibility of Providence Dam located at Marshall Lake. Greenwood Mayor Nipper Kettle explained that the lake is not the city’s responsibility. “We are not willing to take over ownership of the dam, there’s just too much risk involved and too much liability,” he said. “The ‘what ifs’ are just too great, especially when you look around now at what’s going on around British Columbia. It’s not the same, but it is a concern.” Kettle is referring to the mudslide at Johnson’s Landing, as well as the mudslide near Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, north of Cranbrook. Greenwood council made the unanimous decision prior to the July 13 deadline imposed by the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. “Personally I think the dam is safe, but it’s hard to say with what’s happening now,” said Kettle. “I do know that we can’t afford to take it on and it’s not our responsibility.” Tara White, senior fisheries biologist for Fish and Wildlife Section of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations out of Penticton, stated that the removal of the dam was the ministry’s first option. “We’re currently conducting a feasibility analysis of the costs and logistics, design options and timeline schedules to decommission the dam,” she said. “When the feasibility analysis is complete, there will be considerations to look at.” White pointed out items could include where the dam should be breached, to what level, where the best spot would be, and the implications to the landowners. The Fisheries and Wildlife Section only owns the lake and not the surrounding property. “After the feasibility study is concluded, we will be consulting with adjacent landowners for potential impacts and that their concerns are addressed,” said White. Continued on page 3
Residents gather around Marshall Lake on July 14 to discuss next steps to save the dam from being decommissioned. John Greaves (second from right) and Christopher Stevenson (far right) were in attendance.
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