The process to establish road rescue services in four electoral areas moved forward at the recent Columbia Shuswap Regional District board meeting.
In his report to the board, Sean Coubrough, Manager, Protective Services (Regional Fire Chief), asked directors at their March 20 meeting to support the Alternative Approval Process (AAP) to seek assent to use taxation funds for the delivery of road rescue services in the Electoral Area F North Shuswap, Electoral areas C and G in the South Shuswap, Eagle Bay and Falkland.
Coubrough noted the CSRD has been investigating options for the delivery of road rescue services in several under-serviced areas dating back to 2014.
“Three separate reports commissioned by the regional district have determined that while there is no legislative requirement for any governing body to provide road rescue in the province, but this legislative void has not eliminated the need for road rescue as a matter of public safety,” wrote Coubrough. “These reports have highlighted the need for select CSRD fire departments to provide road rescue services in under serviced areas.”
At its Oct. 17, 2024 meeting, the CSRD board approved allocating up to $40,000 to conduct a public assent process to allow electors in the affected areas to determine whether they want to use tax dollars for this program.
“This has been a long time coming; conversations started at least in 2012,” said Area F director Jay Simpson. “I hope we can move through the approval process within the communities in a timely manner and that the communities recognize the work has gone into this and how they will benefit from this service once it is put into place.”
Deputy chair and Salmon Arm director Kevin Flynn echoed Simpson’s remarks and said it is unfortunate in that the province should be providing the service, not the CSRD.
“Clearly it is a significant need as you have unanimity around the electoral area table, and I’m glad we could work out the legal and figure out how to pay for it,” he said.
Golden Mayor Ron Oszust said he would be voting against staff’s recommendations from the perspective of having been a first responder wearing many hats, as a paid-on-call firefighter, BC Ambulance rep for 32 years and a road rescue technician providing services face to face.
He cautioned against the financial burden taxpayers might have to assume for the road rescue service.
“I would support this if there was a referendum process so we could do due diligence to educate and let people know what they voting on as opposed to the alternative approval process,” he said.
In response to Area E director Rhona Martin’s question about varying amounts budgeted for each of the proposed service areas, financial services general manager Jodi Pierce said it is a function of the size of the service area and the value of the properties within.
Martin said she'd previously spoken against against having firefighters respond to accidents as they were hired to fight fires.
She pointed to the Eagle Valley Rescue Society where some young people had served and had suffered from the emotional and mental impact of witnessing road incidents.
“They go to some horrendous accidents and not everybody is equipped to deal with it, and I don’t think we should enter into it lightly.”
But Area C director Marty Gibbons spoke passionately in favour of the service and firefighter participation.
“A lot of our residents think we already have the service and are very shocked when they discover they don’t,” he said. “It is absolutely crucial to have this service.”
Painting a picture of a car going into a ditch and locking the occupants inside, Gibbons said the fire department would be on scene first and has the ability to extricate them “rather than sitting there watching them die.”
While he applauded the road rescue service provided to Eagle Bay by the “incredible, valuable” Salmon Arm Rescue Society, he noted the unit is located about an hour away. And as a former first responder, he alluded to the “golden hour,” an indication of how quickly life expectancy drops over time from initial injury or incident.
“I hate to diminish in any way the concerns that were brought forward here; we do have to be aware of the effect on our paid-on-call firefighters going to these calls,” he said. “But I weigh all that in comparison to a family stuck in a car at the end of the road in Eagle Bay who died because we couldn’t get them out.”
Gibbons said spending $20,000 for the alternate approval process rather than $40,000 per area for a referendum makes sense because establishing a road rescue service is a non-confrontational issue.
As well, he pointed out there have been many discussions, including those with firefighters, and no one is being forced to take part in road rescue if they don’t want to.
The last word went to Oszust, who agreed road rescue is a needed service but said it is a provincial responsibility that is being downloaded to taxpayers.
“We need to hold the government accountable and I am opposed to all the motions.”
The rest of the board voted in favour of using the alternative approval process.
In the North Shuswap, road rescue will be a single service based out of the Celista fire hall. The team will be comprised of members of the Celista, Anglemont, and Scotch Creek Lee Creek fire departments.
The South Shuswap sub-regional road rescue service will be a single service based out of the Shuswap Fire Department and will respond in most sections of Area G with coverage extending to under-serviced portions of Area C, including Eagle Bay.
The Falkland road rescue service will be based out of the Falkland Fire Department and will respond in Falkland and to under-serviced portions of Area D and the Regional District of the North Okanagan.
Road rescue responses to any area outside the service areas identified in the bylaws will be reimbursed to the service area by the province through the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
