Tinderbox

County firefighters work to tame a fire not far from the traffic circle at Waring’s Corners in 2010.

Councillors line up to either to ignite or douse blaze over firehalls

Just as one storm, the size of council, begins to fade, dark foreboding clouds are forming once again over Shire Hall. This time the looming conflict sparking the atmospheric fireworks centres around the County’s firehalls—specifically how many we need and where they should be located?

Few issues arouse as much fury across the County as its fire alls. Since amalgamation at least two attempts have been made to consolidate the County’s firefighting resources and facilities, but both attempts were beaten back by deeply entrenched opposition.

Now the municipality is trying again—this time driven by the pressing fact that many of its firehalls require significant re-investment. Some have reached the end of their useful life. Others are robbing resources to fix leaky roofs, money that could be used for life-saving equipment.

Once again, the fire service is looking to make do with fewer firehalls. And again, opposing opinions are digging in for a fight.

THE PLAN
Currently the municipality is served by 12 fire stations with a fleet of 36 vehicles. Three firehalls are located within 10 kilometres of each other and one, the Picton firehall, is housed in cramped quarters on a busy side street in the town.

The current proposal calls for either nine or 10 fire stations, vacating as many as five existing firehalls (Hillier, Picton downtown, the Heights overlooking Picton, Mallory Road in Bloomfield and Consecon). A new station is proposed for Consecon and another 12-bay station on the edge of Picton, preferably within 400 metres of the traffic circle at Waring’s Corner.

The severest hand-wringing is centred on the fate of the fire hall on the Heights. Though just six kilometres from Waring’s Corners, the closure of the station on Prince Edward Heights would leave North Marysburgh with a single leased station in the ward, housing one pumper truck. Many in the elongated peninsula worry they will be situated on the wrong side of Picton in the case of a fire emergency.

THE BEGINNINGS
In 2009 the municipality embarked on a comprehensive update to its Master Fire Plan—a review of the service’s capacity, competency and capabilities. A committee was formed that included full-time and volunteer firefighters, Fire Department senior staff, a representative from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, a senior County manager (Susan Turnbull) and a member of council (Terry Shortt).

Though not yet complete, the Master Fire Plan deliberations have revealed the dire inadequacies of the stations in Hillier and Picton. In October last year, the committee presented 113-page report recommending a nine firehall plan (or alternatively a 10 hall, plan given the highly charged politics around the issue).

Specifically, the committee proposed building a new firehall in Consecon on land the municipality owns near the intersection of County Road 29 (Mill Street) and the Loyalist Parkway on the edge of the hamlet, at a cost of about $1.3 million. It further recommended a 12-bay fire hall with an administration area at a cost of nearly $3 million.

The estimate of the Waring Corner Hall does not include land acquisition and servicing costs. With improvements to the North Marysburgh and Rossmore stations, the estimated cost is nearing $5 million before land costs.

THE STICKY BIT
But cost is not yet the sticking point. Earlier this year council agreed to move forward with the nine-station proposal but only if it could change its minds later and opt for the ten-station plan. In this way council reasoned the committee could move forward—hire managers to guide the projects and determine firmer costs, including the cost of acquiring land near Waring’s Corners—while keeping its options open.

Mistrust has seeped into this uncertainty.

The current malaise centres on the identification and evaluation of the land for the Waring’s Corner fire stations. Fourteen landowners offered their property in a Request for Proposals issued by the municipality earlier this year. Of these, four were selected for a short list. Last Thursday the committee met to determine its preference, in preparation of making a recommendation to council.

Several councillors grumbled that the meeting was closed—that they were being shut out of a key part of the deliberations. Council was meeting as a committee to consider other matters, but soon devolved into a lengthy debated about fire stations.

Hallowell councillor Keith MacDonald suggested the committee had already made up its mind and that council was on the outside looking in.

The County’s Finance Chief Susan Turnbull tried to assure the councillor from Hallowell that they were still very early in the process and that no decisions had been made.

“Every element of this process requires approval at this table,” assured Turnbull. “We are still a long way away from getting a shovel into the ground in Picton.”

Others wanted to know who sits on the committee and what qualifies them to make this recommendation.

Councillor Jamie Forrester suggested that without council oversight beyond that provided by Councillor Terry Shortt, there would be inevitable questions about legitimacy of the evaluation process.

Turnbull said the committee—steeped largely in firefighting expertise—was looking at the site selection based on factors that consider response times, access issues and fire safety. She said the committee isn’t looking at land use or zoning issues, but instead focusing on the issues that govern fire safety for the entire County.

Councillor Dianne O’Brien reported that some volunteer firefighters she has heard from are unhappy with the proposal. Commissioner Turnbull noted that there was a wide range of views expressed on the committee.

“Both sides have been aired,” said Turnbull.

Keith MacDonald worried to that ten-station plan was slipping off the table while the matter was deliberated behind closed doors.

Turnbull tried again, likely in vain, to soothe the representative from Hallowell.

“Nothing can be done until it is decided around this horseshoe,” said Turnbull referring to the shape of the council table.

The Master Fire Plan committee met on Thursday as planned. In closed session. Council will know in a week or so its recommendation. With fresh oxygen pumped into the debate the issue of firehalls in the County seems certain to ignite another large scale conflagration.