The Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Commission is recommending creation of a full-time deputy chief and operations/training member.
And Armstrong council agrees.
Council unanimously gave its support to the recommendation (though Coun. Paul Britton was absent from the meeting), which comes from an Office of the Fire Commissioner’s 2014 document called The Playbook which confirms the minimum training competencies required for fire service personnel in B.C.
“The main focus of the two-to-three-year period-term contract would be to provide the (fire) department with expertise and capacity to undertake the key tasks to ensure the requirements of the Playbook are met in a timely manner,” wrote Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Chief Ian Cummings in a report to council.
The deputy chief/training officer will help form, implement and administer the training program to all fire department personnel.
The salary would be $72,000 per year.
“I think it’s a good move for Armstrong Spallumcheen,” said Coun. Gary Froats, who spent more than 30 years with the department as a volunteer.
“It’s not really an additional person, it’s replacing Alistair (Crick, now with the Regional District of North Okanagan). The training responsibilities are huge and that’s a lot to be expected from a volunteer fire fighter.”
Mayor Chris Pieper said the fire commission approved the position in its budget and was approved at joint council, but as it’s a staffing issue, both city and township councils must approve.
Spallumcheen will discuss the recommendation at its next meeting April 18.
Banner program
City council approved the five banners that will hang from streetposts for the next three years.
“We are anticipating 36 banner sponsors requesting their names on the tails (bottom),” said Coun. Linda Werner. That compares to 39 in the previous program.
The turnaround time after approval of the proofs is expected to be three-to-four weeks.
The successful artists will be formally recognized at council’s regular meeting April 10.
Road closures
Council has adopted a policy for all road closure requests.
The city receives requests from various organizations for road closures.
“There is a current policy in place for road closures that are done in conjunction with Spirit Square rentals, but not for other occasions,” said corporate officer Sue Wood.
Individuals or groups wishing to book an event that involves a road closure must submit a letter to the city for approval, which includes dates, times, locations (including a map), impact on residents and businesses and requests for barricades if needed.
The request will be placed on the next regular council agenda for consideration.