By Stephanie Froese

Firehall update

Jan 3, 2011 | 3:51 PM

The city is few steps closer in the creation of two new fire substations in Prince Albert.
Joe Zatylny, Deputy Chief for the Prince Albert Fire Service has an update on where Prince Alberta stands in terms of expanding services.

“City council has allocated the land for both substations, one in the east and one in the west and they’ve taken steps during these economic times even to increase the staffing that we will need for both the fire stations,” Zatylny said.

“At this point were moving forward with station models to city council so they can make a decision on where we go and how long the plan will take effect.”

A new station won’t happen overnight. Once a decision on a station and location is made, the fire department needs to send out proposals and tenders.

“Once we break ground were still two to three years, depending on the size of the station before it’s actually up and running.”

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The city has been operating with one lone fire station situated downtown. Other cities like Moose Jaw have a smaller population but already boast two fire stations.

A new substation in Prince Albert would keep response time as low as possible. The biggest concern when it comes to a structure fire is getting to the scene before a flashover occurs.

A flashover can happen within seven to 10 minutes of a fire. With the current station, Zatylny said reaching the outskirts of the city can take up to 11 minutes.

Recently, the city increased levies for new development in the city. The levies are used to pay for infrastructure such as roads and sewers but the increases are also planned to pay for new fire stations.

See related:
Dec 17 – City to double land levies

sfroese@panow.com