Spinning wheels

Concept plan of 12-bay fire station proposed near traffic circle in Picton.

Council set to erase 18 months of work on fire plan update

Council is on the verge of flushing away nearly two years of work by a special committee assembled to examine the County’s fire fighting capacity, equipment and resources. Over time, requirements and standards change, and fire departments are required, by the province, to update their plans to ensure they continue to match the needs of the community it serves.

Communities such as Prince Edward County feel a strong connection to its firefighters— both volunteer and otherwise. For this reason, constituents tend to react negatively to change— particularly recommendations to that appear to reduce service. This nervousness can be easily aroused.

It explains why previous attempts to rationalize firehalls and services in the County have faltered upon angry pushback.

Without resolution or direction, long standing issues get shunted aside. For example the firehall in Picton is woefully inadequate. One truck must be parked outside, underneath a tarp. Its pumper truck is 21 years old and must be replaced—but a new one won’t fit inside the hall.

There are other problems. Firehalls at the Heights above Picton and on Mallory Road in Picton need repairs. Equipment should be distributed more efficiently around the community. But to do this, the fire department needs a plan.

It thought it had one.

“We had more than 300 years of fire fighting service sitting around the table,” said Fire Chief Scott Manlow. “I had full time, volunteers and representation from around the County. Ninety per cent were in favour of the plan we presented.”

But that plan and two years of work were rejected by a special committee of council in a tie vote last week.

THE ISSUES
There are essentially two issues—resistance to locating a new station on prime agricultural land near the traffic circle in Picton, and the closure of the firehall on the Heights.

The arguments against using agricultural land this way are self-evident—although weakend by the fact the OPP detachment was recently constructed nearby.

The arguments against the closure of the station located within Loch Sloy industrial park are a bit more nuanced.

Councillor Robert Quaiff represents North Marysburgh. He suggests property owners in his ward will be less safe if this hall closes. In the Picton Gazette last week, Quaiff commented on a recent barn fire in North Marsyburgh.

“I can just imagine if that fire truck came from the traffic circle what damage would have been done to that barn,” said Quaiff.

It’s is an appealing argument—many people equate proximity to a firehall to increased fire protection. But is it a valid argument in this case?

The fire chief says no.

Manlow says that in the incident Quaiff pointed to— that in fact, a tanker truck from Mallory Road in Bloomfield, was just two minutes behind the truck from the Heights. He adds that if the hall were two minutes closer, at the traffic circle near Picton, that truck would have arrived sooner than the truck from the Heights.

“This is because assembly time is quicker,” explained Manlow, “that is, the time it takes from the moment the call comes in and a truck is on the road.”

Assembly time is dependent on where volunteer firefighters are located.

“If we move to the traffic circle, we have five or six guys nearby; guys who live and work somewhere in the vicinity. We have our largest corps of individuals in that area.”

“Moving the trucks closer doesn’t improve response times—it is a combination of assembly time and travel time. We are only as good as we have firefighters around.”

Quaiff remains unconvinced. He has driven the routes through and around Picton and believes the proposed fire hall is on the wrong side of Picton to serve his ward effectively.

Manlow says it all comes down to the location of the volunteer firefighters he has available.

“I can get firetrucks with flashing red lights through town, much quicker than volunteer firefighters’ personal vehicles with their green lights. It may be a slightly longer drive time—but we are going to get to the fire quicker. That’s what matters.”

Manlow notes as well that the proposed fire plan calls for the Milford firehall to be bolstered, and that equipment and manpower will be reassigned there to augment the overall service in North Marysburgh and the surrounding area.

“I am not going to jeopardize public safety,” said Manlow, “If we house our equipment in the proper facility so that we can deploy it quickly, we are going to improve our service.”

But that prospect seems lost for now. Council will render its final decision on Tuesday night—but if it remains deadlocked, much of the past two years work of the committee will have been wasted.

What will this mean for the County’s fire service? It has put off major repairs and expenditures awaiting the outcome of this process. If this plan fails—Manlow will have to spend money to repair properties he believes don’t fit the County’s firefighting needs.

“In Picton, I’ve got trucks parked under tarps. We have structural issues at the Picton hall. The firehall on the Heights has needed a roof since 2010. We need investment into Mallory.

“We could spend two or three million dollars on what may be a bandaid solutions,” said Manlow.

Quaiff challenges these numbers.

“We need to spend $333,000 on a water line from Highway 33 to Mallory firehall?” asked Quaiff. “Why? We haven’t had it up until now. More discussion needs to take place before any mention of upgrades totalling three million dollars takes place.”

He points to the County’s expanding debt load as a reason for caution.

He says he understands something must be done about the Picton firehall, but suggests there “is a better alternative.”

But Manlow says the fire plan turned down by council last week is the product of the expertise of the County’s firefighters, residents, council representative and a supervisor from the fire marshal’s office. It represents the collective thinking of the best firefighting minds in this community.

“The committee looked at this for 18 months,” said Manlow. “I stand by the committee’s recommendation. We can’t continue to spin our wheels.”