The Village of Fraser Lake is ecstatic after receiving a $300,000 provincial grant for a new fire truck.
B.C.’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs recently announced Fraser Lake as one of 16 First Nations, local governments and service organizations to be successfully approved for new projects funded by the Northern Healthy Communities Fund, administered on behalf of the B.C. Government by the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
“The cost of purchasing a new truck will be about $650,000 but what this has done is it makes it possible for us to purchase this vehicle,” said chief administrative officer (CAO), Rod Holland.
The new truck according to Holland will provide the community with resilience while developing capacity, noting the village currently has just one fire truck which is 16-years-old that is used to provide fire services within the area as well as Fraser Lake Sawmills and Endako mine.
Read More: Funding announced for fire departments across B.C.
“The other thing is it gives us the opportunity to consider other service models,” he added.
“We haven’t finished completion of those discussions, but there has been a long-standing interest by residents in the rural Area D surrounding Fraser Lake for fire service.”
Remaining money required to purchase the new truck will be covered by the village with a possible contribution by the Coastal GasLink project.
Request for proposals is anticipated to close in early June.
Holland said it could take at least eight to ten months before the new truck arrives, where it will be stored in a bay at the Fraser Lake Fire Department that is currently occupied by a 1981 Hub fire engine used in parades and special events.
“We’ll have to find a new home for it, and the new fire truck will slide right in. We made sure the dimensions of the new truck are going to fit into the existing fire hall so we won’t have to do any renovations.”
Read More: New regional training centre for firefighters in Fraser Lake
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