As part of its recently announced budget, the NDP government in Alberta has announced a major infrastructure investment in Kananaskis Country for a new emergency services centre.
Funding for the $18.5 million replacement facility was announced on Monday (April 25) at the current Kananaskis Emergency Services Centre in the provincial park.
The new facility will provide a bigger home to accommodate fire and ambulance services for the region, according to for Banff-Cochrane MLA Cam Westhead, who was at the announcement on behalf of the ministers of environment and parks and infrastructure.
“As part of Budget 2016, the Government of Alberta will fund the complete replacement of the Kananaskis Emergency Services Centre,” Westhead said. “This building that is here right now was originally put here in preparation for the 1988 Winter Olympics and over the years the personnel here have responded to thousands of calls.
“Working closely with the RCMP, they have established a long history of 24/7 emergency response. They are a first line of defence for wildfires and they were called upon to provide safety and security during the G8 leaders summit here in 2002.”
Located on Highway 40 in Kananaskis Country near the village and Nakiska Ski Hill, the Kananaskis Emergency Services Centre is home to the Kananaskis Improvement District’s fire department and Alberta Health Services ambulance services.
In addition, emergency services for the region are dispatched out of the centre and the number of calls it has handled has increased tenfold, according to Westhead since 2000.
“Currently, the Kananaskis Emergency Services Centre staff respond to more than 4,000 incidents a year and, as we know, the number of visitors to Kananaskis are increasing every year,” he said.
Fire Chief Craig Halifax said the number of people in the backcountry is increasing at a rate that, if 2016 is any indication, will likely see the number of calls dispatched out of the emergency services centre exceed 5,000.
“The call volume we are looking at for all responses has been climbing,” Halifax said. “We are looking at this year probably 5,000 in 2016.”
Funding for the project includes a design phase, which will begin in May, according to Parks regional director for Kananaskis Mark Storie.
“Today’s announcement is a major milestone in the development of the Kananaskis region that allows us to be more efficient in our comprehensive measures for the protection of people, wildlife and ecological services throughout the Kananskis region,” Storie said.
“I know Kananaskis region staff are very much looking forward to the improvement that will come with this new investment.”
The RCMP are also located in a building on site, although the new facility will not include their operations. It will function as an emergency coordination centre in a local state of emergency and allows fire, EMS and dispatch to coordinate response efforts with outside agencies like search and rescue, conservation officers, public safety and wildfire response.
While the facility will be funded by provincial dollars, everyday operations and maintenance is funded through the Kananaskis Improvement District. Chief administrative officer Jordie Fraser said the cost to maintain the older facility has been steadily increasing, making the project high on the region’s to-do list.
“It is really going to aid in operations,” said Fraser, adding that includes how staff function when on duty. “Having to shovel the walkway in order to get to the fire trucks in winter is a difficulty they won’t have to deal with anymore.”
The improvement district in the recent past spent $1 million on new fire trucks for the region. Fraser said the building size right now does not allow for proper storage of those assets either.
Fraser said through the design phase of the project the possibility of including partners in a new emergency services centre can be explored.
Westhead said the capital investment to build a new facility for emergency services is part of the Alberta Jobs Plan.
“Public infrastructure is important to the economy and with historically low interest rates there is no better time to invest in the future,” he said. “Investing in infrastructure is a key pillar of the Alberta Jobs Plan and a way to create jobs for thousands of Albertans many of whom are struggling due to the downturn in the economy.”
