The prospect of Highlands East closing fire halls is already proving contentious, with Coun. Angela Lewis grilling fire chief Chris Baughman during a Highlands East council meeting Oct. 14.
Baughman tabled a report asking council whether they would like to stick to their vehicle replacement schedule, or come up with another approach in line with recommendations in the fire master plan.
Consultant, The Loomex Group, told council Aug. 12 they should close station 6 in Paudash and station 2 in Highland Grove as part of a consolidation plan.
Baughman noted the existing plan called for five vehicle replacements for 2025: a fire chief vehicle ($70,000), station 2 rescue pick-up ($70,000), station three rescue pick-up ($140,000), station one pumper ($600,000) and station 3 ATV/side-by-side ($25,000). He said they still need to buy the Station 3 rescue pick-up, station 1 pumper and station 3 ATV/side-by-side.
In a written report, he said, “alternatively, if council wishes to put these vehicle replacements on hold, the recommendations from the master fire plan could be further investigated.”
He said he would then bring a detailed report to a future meeting of council. He added he could report back on the reassignment of existing apparatus to different stations, eliminating the need to replace two vehicles for this budget year and in future, to save $740,000 in the current budget year.
He acknowledged, “reassignment rather than replacement purchases would result in a station operating without specific apparatus… (which) could present an opportunity to revisit the fire master plan recommendations regarding long-term service delivery planning.”
Prior to being elected in 2022, Lewis served on Highlands East’s fire committee, where she advocated against the closure of the Highland Grove fire hall.
She said the fire master plan spoke to “transparency, trust and communication,” especially when talking changes to service.
She said if they alter how they replace equipment, “there will be a fire station that is left with not enough apparatus to give the essential services that it has to a community.”
Baughman said his ask last week was “not leaving any stations short of any equipment at this time.”
Lewis asked about timeframes, and which stations would be impacted. Baughman said it would mean moving station 6’s rescue vehicle to station 3, eliminating the purchase of a rescue at station 3, and leaving station 6 short of an apparatus.
Lewis responded, “so what type of public consultation are we going to have?” She asked if they could defer the report to give the public a chance to speak.
Baughman repeated, “there’s been no recommendation to close stations, move apparatus or anything at this point. We’ve had a third-party provider give us a report with their recommendations. None of the recommendations have come from myself or council.” He said it was up to council to provide direction.
Deputy mayor Cec Ryall asked about timelines for getting new vehicles. Baughman said the average wait time is 18 months to three years, and he anticipates two years. Ryall thought it was important to make a decision by first quarter 2026.
Lewis suggested sticking with the current vehicle replacement plan and councillors agreed.
CAO Brittany McCaw said that was the intent of the report, but it gave council the opportunity to look into the fire master plan’s recommendations.
