Port Related Fire service arrangements, prospects for future partnerships outlined

Prince Rupert Fire Rescue members taking part in a joint
Stakeholder exercise at the Pembina and AltaGas Terminals
in August. of 2021

Our look at some of the feedback that Prince Rupert City Council received from their budget consultation offered up an interesting side trip to the process, that making for some notes from residents when it comes to the current status of Fire fighting services in the community.

The larger overview can be reviewed here, but one reader asked a question related to the service to Industrial stakeholders and for an answer we put the question to Kathrine Voigt, the Manager of Corporate Communications for the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

Towards how the fire response takes place she offered the following:

Fire response at Port of Prince Rupert terminals is a combination of the Prince Rupert Fire Department’s response services in the event of an emergency and each terminal’s fire suppression infrastructure and trained on-site personnel. 

Each terminal has its own fit-for-purpose fire mitigation and response procedures and capabilities, in addition to staff trained in basic fire response procedures.

In our review of last week, we also noted of some recent commentary during the Budget discussions last Monday where a number of councillors expressed some hope for sharing some of the burden on fire fighting in the community.

And also, you know maybe we can share the cost with industry. You know, that's something that's gotta be looked at, but you know that was another suggestion made.

I think you know people look at the Fire Department as a big cash cow,  it isn't. 

It's a very essential service especially if you want to attract industry.  Industry is not going to come to a town where if they build something and something happens it's just going to disappear  

And so I think we definitely have an advantage having a full time fire department, especially with the size of the port we've got and things like that.

You know are they sharing the cost, hopefully one day they will,  but in the meantime we have to do it alone" -- Councillor Barry Cunningham at the April 24 Council Session

On that theme, Ms. Voigt noted of some work an discussions that have been taking place in the past towards a new facility for the PRFD and how the Port may be able to be part of that effort.

To ensure that the Port of Prince Rupert is fully equipped to address any terminal operations fire-related emergency, while minimizing the burden on local Prince Rupert Fire Department resources, PRPA and the City of Prince Rupert are working cooperatively to investigate the opportunity for a new and enhanced Emergency Response and Training facility. 

Recognizing the City’s need for a new fire hall, as well as the requirement for various port operations to internally provide or contract specific emergency services that aren’t currently available locally, PRPA and the City believe there may be significant mutual benefit in a collaborative capital and operating venture.

We first made note of the concept of a partnership between the City and Port back in July of 2022, when a PRPA RFP for an Emergency Response Facility was put out for bid.

At the time, the proposed location for such a new facility had been identified as property behind the Lester Centre off of Wantage Road.

An area between the current Public Works yard
and the Lester Centre had previously been
noted as a possible site for a new Emergency
Responders facility

Former Mayor Lee Brain also noted of the discussions with industry as part of his State of City presentation on June 28th of that year.

In March of 2022, a new Emergencies Service facility for the Fire Service was noted as part of the a call for a Master Service Agreement for Infrastructure by the City.

The City has yet to make any official statement towards its plans for a new Fire Hall other than to include the prospect as part of their Financial planning for the future.

That came as part of the recent Budget Prevention in March by CFO Corinne Bomben.

More items of note from Council Discussions can be explored through our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.