Athabasca Volunteer Fire Department Chief Denis Mathieu says his department feels underfunded.
The department recently asked both the Town of Athabasca and Athabasca County for $15,000 to buy a new first response truck. But both the town and county failed to meet the fire department’s request, offering a counter offer of half the amount they were looking for.
“Our offer from the county was $7,000, and $6,000 from the town, with the rest coming out of our operating budget from the town, which we didn’t think was a wise option,” said Mathieu.
The department requested the money after a repair shop refused to release their current first response truck because of mechanical problems.
That truck, a 1996, happens to be the department’s newest.
A first response truck goes on every call and advises on the equipment and tools needed to do the job, whether it’s a car accident or fire, or in the county or town.
The current ’96 truck was donated to the department a year ago, but was sucking dirt into the engine over the past year.
Without the requested funding from the town and county, the fire department is being forced to put another $10,000 into their current first response truck, to which they have already invested $27,000.
At a recent town council meeting, Athabasca chief administrative officer Doug Topinka stated his belief that the department should have to find the money themselves.
“The fire department was given a huge increase (in funding), and this is now their priority, so they should have to redo the budget,” he said.
Topinka said they should fix the engine because it is the cheapest option.
“If it was just dirt in the engine, it would not be too expensive to replace. There are limits and council has been extremely generous already,” Topinka stated.
Mathieu said they were looking for a three-way donation from the town, county and not-for-profit society, Friends of the Athabasca Fire Department.
“We got some quotes from Ford for a new engine, and we thought it would outlast the truck if we put it in,” Mathieu said.
“We’re hoping to get four years out of this truck.”
In response to the lack of support for a new truck, Mathieu has asked the town to review a capital replacement plan.
“Maybe in four years we can get a new truck,” he said. “There was no way we could afford a new truck right now. We’re not getting the funding from either council so this was the only thing we could do.”
Mathieu stated that the department currently has a second response truck, which was provided by the county several years ago. The truck is a 1984, but Mathieu said it runs well.
“We’ve used it eight times in the past week and a half to respond to calls,” he said.
The department hasn’t been as fortunate as others in the area, according to the chief.
“Grassland, Boyle, Westlock all have new vehicles,” Mathieu said. “We don’t know why we have such old vehicles.”
Mathieu has his hopes up because they have an RFP (request for proposal) out for a new truck.
“We should have a new county truck in the hall by October of 2012,” he said. “It will be equipped to respond to county calls. It’s a water tanker and pumper.”
Currently the department has a 1982 fire truck, named Ping.
It is a truck equipped for fighting fires in the county and was bought by the department. Ping was the truck Athabasca sent last May to fight the out of control Slave Lake fire.
The rescue truck is a 1993 International, which was bought by the Town of Athabasca from Grande Prairie.
There is a 1996 Freightliner, and their 1996 first response truck, which is currently out of commission.
“With the municipal act, and fire code, you have to have a first response truck that is less than 20 years old by law,” Mathieu explained.
In the next four years their current first response truck will be bumped to be a second response truck, and a newer truck will have to be purchased to replace their first response vehicle.
