The Town of Bashaw Fire Department is exploring ways to become more flexible in its ability to respond to fires.
One of the ways the department is looking at gaining flexibility is through the purchase of a new crew cab truck with a pump and water tank mounted on it.
According to Mayor Rob McDonald, when town council discussed the idea at the Feb. 21 council meeting no one was against it, but some answers need to be found before proceeding.
McDonald noted that a smaller truck with a tank on it would offer “a little more flexibility” when responding to grass fires outside of the municipality than the big trucks.
Currently, according to chief administrative officer (CAO) Theresa Fuller, the issue with adding the vehicle to the department would be storage.
“There’s a lack of space to store it,” said Fuller, in a recent telephone interview.
The request for council decision, which is in the Feb. 21 agenda package, does note that Town of Bashaw Foreman Patrick Taylor believes he may be able to find room to store the truck somewhere within the public works shop.
As for the cost of a new vehicle, McDonald says after looking online there are literally “hundreds” of previously used vehicles that would suit the town’s purposes.
“We’re not going too fancy,” said McDonald.
“And the fire department already has the pump.”
The only other expense attached to the new vehicle would be the 200-gallon tank, which is being priced out.
Coun. Kyle McIntosh motioned to accept the request for information as more data was collected.
Fire donations
The Bashaw Fire Department received $5,000 in donations in 2023 from a pair of sources.
According to CAO Fuller, after a discussion with the fire chief, the decision was made to place the funds into an operating fire reserve for the department.
The funds were transferred in a motion by Coun. McIntosh.
Communications
CAO Fuller noted in the interview that the council reviewed her report, particularly focusing on the improved communications specific to the recent water leak in the community.
Fuller noted that there has been an increase in users on the town’s Voyent Alert app, which was used alongside social media to let residents know what was happening regarding the leak.
The next town of Bashaw council meeting is March 6, 2024.