OLDS — A second fire hall could be in the works for the community in 2029, according to the Town of Olds' 2023-32 capital plan.
A total of $100,000 is earmarked in 2032 to look at a possible satellite hall.
However, that doesn’t mean one will be built in or around that time. That depends on the town’s growth rate, fire chief and protective services director Justin Andrew told council.
Coun. James Cummings raised the matter as council members studied the plan during a late December meeting.
He wondered if the municipality's fire master plan projected a significant increase to the population of Olds or an increase in its service area over the next 10 years or so that would make a second fire hall necessary.
Andrew said while that money is slated now, that doesn’t mean one will be needed then.
"That is an acknowledgment that if there is economic recovery and explosive growth in the town with the new annexation and other variables, that that would be something that we would have to consider,” Andrew said.
However, he stressed that would only happen “when the metrics require us to address it, being that our response times are longer than what acceptable community standards would be.
“So right now, there is no anticipation that at 10 years we would have to meet any new growth aspects. But again, if something happens... where there’s lots of activity, then we would have to address it.”
But for the time being, no such fire hall is expected, he added.
The plan also makes provision for two new fire trucks to be purchased. A total of $1 million is earmarked for a pumper in 2027 and $1.7 million is set aside for a new aerial platform truck in 2029.
In addition, another $80,000 is set aside for a new command vehicle in 2023.
Cummings asked if the new fire vehicle purchases are simply to replace older ones or are planned to accommodate anticipated growth in the town.
Andrew said they’re slotted in as part of the department’s lifecycle vehicle replacement schedule.
"Part of how that’s determined is the fire underwriters’ survey requires that our front-line pumper trucks in the municipality have to be less than 15 years old in order to keep the municipality’s fire insurance rates at the level that they are,” Andrew said.
“Otherwise, the risk level increases, and then everybody pays more.”
Andrew said the pumper and aerial platform truck were a good deal when purchased.
"They were both demo units and bought at a substantial discount in price because they were those demos,” he said.
He conceded that those trucks are “very large-ticket items” but are generally utilized by the fire department for a long time.
"They’re typically a 15-to-20-year apparatus; 15 years front-line service and another five as a secondary (service),” Andrew said.
