How much is the safety of the people of Bellevue worth?
That is the question I keep coming back to as I read the Crowsnest Pass Taxpayers’ Association’s call to pause the purchase of a replacement fire engine.
I understand that $1.5 million is a lot of money. Residents are concerned about taxes, borrowing and the growing cost of municipal infrastructure. Those concerns are legitimate. I share them.
Consider the priorities here. Council recently approved $1.75 million for paving on 20th Avenue. Road maintenance matters, and residents expect council to invest in it. Surely the same recognition should extend to a fire engine estimated at $1.1 million, equipment that could help save someone’s home or life. I didn’t see a letter about that!
But the people living in Bellevue are taxpayers, too. They deserve to know that when they call for help, our firefighters have dependable equipment available to protect them.
A functioning fire engine is a necessity. Council has a responsibility to plan for its replacement before the existing truck can no longer do the job.
The association acknowledges that replacement may be necessary and that an urgent safety requirement could make delay impractical. Where I disagree is over how much room there is to wait. In my view, the timeline administration presented makes a strong case for moving promptly.
According to the Oct. 20 council meeting notes prepared by Allison Capron through Documenters Canada, chief administrative officer Patrick Thomas said administration was already pursuing an extension that would allow the existing engine to remain in frontline service to age 25. Even with that extension, he said there were only about three and a half years remaining.
A replacement fire engine typically takes two to four years to arrive.
That leaves limited room for delay.
We cannot wait until the truck reaches the end of its extended service period and then start shopping. A three-year purchasing deferral, followed by a two-year delivery period, would take us beyond the remaining timeline administration described.
And an extension is conditional. It does not guarantee another five years of uninterrupted service.
There is no evidence in the material before me that Bellevue’s engine is currently unsafe. The question is how we plan responsibly for its replacement while it remains available to serve the community.
What happens if it develops a major mechanical problem while we are waiting? What if a necessary part is unavailable or a repair takes months?
Before advocating a lengthy delay, I want to hear how Bellevue would be protected under those circumstances and what providing that coverage would mean for the rest of the municipality.
There are insurance considerations as well. Twenty years is an important benchmark for fire-insurance grading, rather than an automatic legal expiry date. Continued recognition beyond that age depends on condition, testing and approval. Losing recognized firefighting capacity can affect a community’s grading and property-insurance rates.
That does not mean residents’ policies automatically become invalid if a truck breaks down. Bellevue’s specific insurance implications would need to be confirmed. But maintaining recognized fire protection deserves serious consideration when discussing the financial interests of homeowners.
The association wants council to examine the cost of proceeding. I want equal attention paid to the cost and risk of waiting.
There is also an important distinction between the budget and the anticipated purchase price. According to the meeting notes, Thomas put the current estimated price at approximately $1.1 million, within the $1.5-million budget. The final cost still needs to be established, but residents deserve to hear that distinction.
Both purchases deserve scrutiny. But if we can recognize the need to spend money maintaining our roads, we should also recognize the need to replace the equipment our firefighters depend on to protect us.
The meeting notes also record Thomas’s warning that delaying the order could mean paying more.
Postponing a necessary purchase does not automatically produce a saving. It may leave us buying the same equipment at a higher price while relying longer on the existing truck.
By all means, compare manufacturers. Examine Canadian-built options, appropriate specifications, warranties, maintenance costs and delivery schedules. Investigate used equipment if it can provide dependable service and sound value.
But every alternative needs to answer the same questions: Will it meet our needs? When can it arrive? How long can it reasonably serve? What will it cost over that period?
A lower initial price means little without those answers.
We also need to remember the people expected to operate this equipment.
Our firefighters leave their families when someone else’s family needs help. They respond in the middle of the night, in terrible weather and under dangerous conditions. We ask them to make decisions most of us will never have to make.
We owe them dependable equipment and a replacement plan that gives them confidence in what will be available when the next call comes.
We know what fire can do here.
We lived through the Lost Creek Fire. Our communities were threatened and residents were forced from their homes. Local firefighters worked alongside crews and emergency personnel from elsewhere to protect this community through an extraordinary emergency. No homes were destroyed.
That outcome should make us grateful. It should also remind us why readiness matters.
The recent tragedy at CFB Wainwright is another terrible reminder of how rapidly a fire can spread. National Defence reported that the Oct. 17 fire spread beyond the training area. Its circumstances were different from those of a residential fire, but the speed with which an emergency can unfold should resonate with everyone living in the Pass.
When a call comes, our firefighters must respond with the equipment available that day. A replacement still on order cannot help them.
Council has asked administration to investigate lower-cost alternatives before proceeding with further readings of the borrowing bylaw. Complete that work promptly. Explain the financing. Establish which option provides reliable service and the best value over its useful life.
Then make the decision while there is still time to plan.
It is easy to promise spending restraint on the campaign trail. It is harder to sit at the council table, authorize an expensive purchase and explain why it is necessary.
But that is part of the job.
Council was elected to look after this municipality and the people who live in it. Sometimes fulfilling that responsibility means spending money we would all prefer to keep.
I would much rather see council explain why it bought a replacement fire engine in time than explain why it waited too long.
The people of Bellevue deserve dependable fire protection. Our firefighters deserve the equipment to provide it.
Buy the damn fire truck!