Richard Froese
South Peace News
Big Lakes County Fire Services will soon have another special unit to transport equipment to emergency scenes.
At its preliminary budget meeting Dec. 4-5, Big Lakes County council approved $275,000 in the 2024 interim capital budget to buy a structure protection unit (SPU).
Fire chief Jason Cottingham says the trailer is another valuable tool for the fire department.
“We really could have used it this spring with the wildfires,” says Cottingham, who was employed with Alberta Forestry as a wildfire management specialist from 1996 for many years before he became Big Lakes fire chief Sept. 21, 2020.
He is committed to find other funding sources to reduce the cost to council.
“We will look for grants to offset our costs,” he says.
The structure protection unit is a tandem axle trailer 18-20 feet long with an assortment of specialized equipment to protect more than 25 structures, says Pat Olansky, director of community services and planning.
She adds 95 per cent of the county is within the forest protection area and most homes and businesses in the county may be impacted by a wildfire.
“In the spring of 2023, the reality of that fact came true,” Olansky says.
“The County did not have a structure protection trailer and the fire service had to reach out to our neighbouring municipalities to request the use of an SPU.”
She adds the County was able to use the last remaining SPU from the Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service based in Slave Lake.
“Once the use of the SPU was concluded, the fire service returned the unit at a cost of $92,800,” Olansky says.
She notes the number of SPUs in northwestern Alberta is limited.
During the fire service review in 2021, the protection trailer was identified as a need in the wildfire review and equipment plan.
The 2022 wildfire threat assessment and structure protection plan for the north shore of Lesser Slave Lake also recommends a protection trailer, Olansky says.
Cottingham says it will take about four months for the trailer to arrive.
The unit would be based at the Enilda fire hall, Olansky says.
The trailer has potential to generate $1,600-$3,200 a day in revenue.
The equipment within the trailer, which is most of the capital cost, does not have a replacement date, he says.
“The trailer will be evaluated at year 15 for wear and tear,” Olansky says.
Like all fire service’s large capital assets, the SPU will be open to tenders across Canada.