The Strathcona Regional District is moving forward with adoption of a regional fire administration support service that would provide assistance to the various fire departments in the Regional District.
There was little discussion and no opposing votes at the May 10th SRD Board meeting.
Continue reading SRD moving forward with Regional Fire ServiceLast week, Sadhu Johnston, President of the Cortes Island Fire Fighters Association met with David Leitch, Chief Administrative Officer of the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) and two of his staff.
“There was a lot of smoke and not a lot of fire in there. We ended up having a very productive conversation and we’ll be entering into contract negotiations for another five year contract for firefighting on Cortes. It was very productive and they were really willing to work with us and address the unique needs of Cortes and find ways to address concerns in working together,” said Johnston.
Continue reading Cortes Fire Department meeting with the SRD
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) centralized fire service, unveiled at last week’s board meeting, was not what many feared. It seemed to compliment, rather than replace, the District’s seven volunteer fire departments. Cortes Currents reached out to Mark Vonesch (MV), the Regional Director for our area, for a more in depth perspective.
MV: “The size of this service is quite small and it’s really just funding two full-time jobs to provide some general administration support around the things that rural fire departments and the regional district need to coordinate more on. I think it makes sense both for rural fire departments in the Strathcona Regional District and the regional district itself to have some shared administration.”
Continue reading Mark Vonesch: Why a shared fire service could save us moneyThe Strathcona Regional District (SRD) centralized fire administration support service may be a lot less controversial than expected.
Regional Director Gerald Whalley, of Area A, was originally opposed to the idea of a centralized fire service. At the April 26 Board meeting he said, “I have come to support this. I think it’s a good idea. I think it’s going to save us all money.”
Chair Mark Baker, who is also the Mayor of Sayward, added, “Just to let y’all know, I support this 100%. However, I do have to bring this back to my council. I’ve discussed it with the CAO just here. But without having this information prior to our council meeting, that was a week ago. I do have to bring it back, but I do fully support it.”
Continue reading SRD considering a ‘shopping list’ approach for centralized fire service
An overwhelming majority of the 50 or so people that turned out (in person or via ZOOM) to the Cortes Island Firefighting Association (CIFFA) AGM on Thursday, Mar 30, were supportive of the fire department.
CIFFA has a contract to provide fire fighting services, with the Strathcona Regional District (SRD).
A number of attendees questioned the Strathcona Regional District’s current idea of setting up of a regional system, with a Fire Chief in Campbell River.
Continue reading Challenges: The 2023 Cortes Island Firefighting Association AGM
