Municipalities continue to come to grips with new B.C. government housing density legislation, including the potential costs of upgrading firefighting apparatus to protect high-rise and even mid-rise buildings.
Small B.C. municipalities such as the District of Lantzville donB次元官网网址檛 currently have four-storey residential structures that may be mandated by new housing legislation, nor the apparatus to fight fires in them. Ladder trucks may have to be purchased to provide adequate fire protection services, but thereB次元官网网址檚 some uncertainty as far as funding sources.
District of Lantzville council suggests the funding could be raised through development cost charges levied by municipalities to pay for infrastructure needed to service new development. The province currently allows municipalities to use development charges to pay for firefighting facilities, but not explicitly firefighting apparatus.
Lantzville council, based on a resolution submitted by Coun. Jonathan Lerner earlier this year, wants the province to allow development charges to cover not just firehalls, but other large capital requirements.
B次元官网网址淚f itB次元官网网址檚 purely brick-and-mortar firehalls, the problem is that many communities, like Lantzville, might only have one firehall that gets replaced every 40 or 50 years. ThatB次元官网网址檚 important, but there are some other expenses that get incurred along the way B次元官网网址� the big one, of course, is fire trucks,B次元官网网址� Lerner said. B次元官网网址淟antzville has a number of fire trucks, as do other small communities, and we replace them on a cycle, but B次元官网网址� anything four storeys or higher is going to likely require a ladder truck.B次元官网网址�
He said Lantzville can access mutual aid from Nanaimo Fire Rescue to fight fires, but would still need its own ladder truck, which carries a price tag of about $2 million, to ensure the fastest response to a fire.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a lot of money for a community when $30,000 or so is about one per cent of our budget,B次元官网网址� he said.
One of LantzvilleB次元官网网址檚 fire trucks, Lerner said, is due for replacement in 2028.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 nothing wrong with development, but if itB次元官网网址檚 going to encourage additional expense for the district itB次元官网网址檚 important that we try to find ways to offset that,B次元官网网址� the councillor said.
Lantzville councilB次元官网网址檚 resolution has been acceptd by the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities board for discussion and Lerner hopes it will be adopted at the AVICC conference in Victoria this Friday through Sunday, April 12-14.
B次元官网网址淭his isnB次元官网网址檛 the first time something like that has been brought up at the AVICC, but B次元官网网址� it was an honour to have it endorsed and IB次元官网网址檓 looking forward to advocating for itB次元官网网址次元官网网址� he said.
If the motion is adopted it would likely be forwarded for consideration at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in September.
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