A proposal for a Dead Man’s Flat fire service station has caught the eye of the Municipal District of Bighorn and has set forward two motions.
Bighorn administration has been directed to develop the concept in principle and bring a potential plan back to council with the detail on how a fire hall in Dead Man’s would benefit the MD as a whole.
Bighorn Reeve Dene Cooper said the fire hall proposal “has to be explored” and could potentially serve approximately 600 residents in Dead Man Flat’s and Lac Des Arcs with first response service.
A delegation to establish a fire hall to Dead Man’s Flats was brought forward to council by River’s Bend Development Inc. partners Shane Jonker, Frank Kernick and Wade Downer on Tuesday (Feb. 10) at the regular meeting.
River’s Bend Development is asking the MD to consider a proposal where the developers would construct, supply and operate a fire hall and fire truck in order to enhance safety for residents, employees and property, as well as alleviate building code requirements that would offset fire protection costs.
The developers propose the hall be constructed adjacent to the existing Dead Man’s lift station and they would shoulder the financial load of construction and equipment estimated at $100,000.
Currently, the MD and Canmore have an agreement where Canmore provides fire response services at the hamlets of Dead Man’s Flats and Harvie Heights, for which the MD pays an annual rate for the service.
Cooper said they are “very satisfied” with the service Canmore has provided to its hamlets. The exploration of the delegation’s proposal is meant to look at all of the potential options for the residents, employees and property in the MD.
As building permits began to flow in the MD office for Dead Man’s, a question raised by an MD building inspector to developers was if the structures fall within the 10-minute fire response. The assumption with the Canmore/MD agreement was it did, however, that has since been determined not to be the case.
“In consultation with Canmore’s fire and rescue personnel and senior administration and development officers, it was determined that indeed, Dead Man’s Flats and Harvie Heights do not fall in that 10-minute response time,” Jonker said during the delegation’s presentation.
The Alberta Building Code requires additional fire protection measures for structures outside a 10-minute response time of local fire departments and that municipalities map out that area. The Town of Canmore said in late 2014 that Canmore’s existing fire response map did not meet the outline of the building code, which affected the development industry in Dead Man’s Flats.
In more densely populated residential developments, developers have to meet that 10-minute window or safety concerns as well as an additional cost attached for Dead Man’s builders would occur.
“In the absence of that 10-minute response, we have people and property unduly at risk … People building in Dead Man’s Flats at the moment are going to see anywhere from a $10,000 to $20,000 increase in the cost to build to provide fire protection in one manner or another,” Jonker said.
He added that the increase in cost compromises their intent in Dead Man’s to provide affordable housing in the pricey Bow Valley, and a fire hall would benefit three communities within the MD.
With files from Tanya Foubert.
