Langley Township council approved a host of new spending on equipment and infrastructure for its fire department at its most recent meeting, on Monday, Sept. 25.
Among the projects approved were:
• $101,000 up front plus $27,600 in maintenance costs for a new software model that will help the fire department plan for deployment, risk assessment, and even identify where to build future fire halls to meet growing demand
• $225,000 for a new exhaust control system for the Murrayville firehall, which will also allow parts from the old system there to be used to upgrade the exhaust control in two other halls
• $485,000 for renovations to the Willoughby Firehall’s interior, which is getting so worn down that, according to fire chief Jason de Roy, the flooring is worn through in places and tiles are falling down
• $400,000 for a driveway reconstruction for the Willoughby Firehall, to allow the largest-sized fire trucks to safely turn in and out of the driveway without taking up two full lanes on the nearby road, which was considered a serious hazard for firefighters and motorists
The new software module is anticipated to give firefighters new tools while they are actively fighting fires, de Roy noted.
The computer program swill be available to the fire captains in their trucks, so officers will have greater situational awareness while responding to a call.
“You know where your next resources are, there’s layers where you can see your hydrants and all kinds of things,” said de Roy, adding that it will be very beneficial for firefighters.
Many of the other changes are meant to catch up with the growth the Township has experienced.
For example, the Willoughby firehall is the newest hall in Langley, built in 2002. It began as a hall served by paid on-call firefighters before switching to using some full-timers in 2006.
However, Willoughby has grown rapidly over the 21 years since it opened.
Councillor Tim Baillie, a former firefighter, noted that the Willoughby hall would likely respond to fires in the new high rises being built in that neighbourhood, or to any future fires like that.
He also pointed to the need for the exhaust control systems, which draw diesel exhaust from fire trucks out of the halls, to protect firefighters from cancer-causing fumes.
Most of the measures were adopted unanimously.
