In response to the persistent extreme fire danger in our area and across the province, West Âé¶¹AV Fire Rescue has announced it is putting in place enhancements to the fire service for both West Âé¶¹AV and the Westbank First Nation.
According to the fire department, effective immediately, the fire service will include:
• The addition of one full-time firefighter per shift at the the Lakeview Heights fire hall, increasing the number of firefighters on shift to four from three.
• Creation of a dedicated roster of paid, on-call firefighters for the Glenrosa and Rose Valley fire halls, ensuring immediate availability of these staff to respond to call-outs if needed.
• The addition of one chief officer on call, 24-hours-per-day, seven-days-per week, supporting the department, deployment and command of major responses.
The changes have been put in place to help ensure West Âé¶¹AV Fire Rescue is best able to address fire threat in the community during what the department describes as “these extraordinary circumstances.â€
This enhanced service will remain in place until conditions improve. The additional cost to provide the enhanced service is estimated at $88,200.