Dawson Creek, BC – On April 10, 2025, the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) received an update on the 2024 fire expansion study conducted by FireWise Consulting for the communities of Bessborough, Farmington and Sunrise Valley in Electoral Area D.
FireWise Consulting Ltd., the PRRD’s contracted fire protection consultant, presented findings from their study that evaluated various fire protection costs. The study gathered data through resident surveys, public feedback, meetings and PRRD administration insights.
Key challenges identified
- Recruiting and retaining volunteer personal, with a minimum need of 15 firefighters from an estimated pool of approximately 160 potential candidates
- Ensuring effectiveness and sustainability of services
- Meeting training requirements
- Balancing responsibilities
Fire protection options explored
- Maintaining current situation: This option incurs no costs or liability but offers no emergency response for non-forestry fires or rescues, leaving community risk unchanged.
- Creating composite staffed fire service: This is the preferred option, offering lower personnel costs and consistent administration. However, it requires significant capital investment, increased operational costs and may put pressure on the attendant fire department due to limited volunteer availability.
- Expanding service delivery area (regional model): This approach improves resource allocation and operational efficiency, provides cost savings and standardizes training.
Findings
Community input strongly supports fire services; 82 percent of residents consider fire services important or essential. Residents want preparedness for various fire types, full-service fire departments, rescue services and fire prevention programs.
Recommendations
FireWise recommends expanding the service delivery area, maintaining a specific fleet of apparatus (pumper-tanker, water tender, wildland unit and utility pickup), and carefully siting and designing a firehall with essential facilities.
Financial considerations
Key financial considerations include ongoing capital replacement, annual testing and certification and volunteer firefighter wages. A sustainable fire service depends on addressing volunteer recruitment and retention challenges.
Next steps
PRRD staff are currently reviewing this information and will present a report with recommendations to the Regional Board in June 2025. The Regional Board will then provide direction on the next steps.
The PRRD thanks residents of Bessborough, Farmington and Sunrise Valley for their valuable feedback during the consultation period.
Updates on this project will be posted on the project page, haveyoursay.prrd.bc.ca/bfses and the PRRD’s website at prrd.bc.ca.
