Burn control: The Regional District of Nanaimo addresses growing demands on fire departments
Channel: Life on Gabriola TV
Date: 05/02/2024

Life on Gabriola TV brings you two excerpts from a recent meeting of the Board of the Regional District of Nanaimo. The RDN is a government body with jurisdiction over a large swathe of the eastern Vancouver Island area, including Gabriola Island. In the first excerpt here (01:49), they discuss a recommendation to create a Fire Services Operation Coordinator position to provide additional capacity in managing those fire departments in the area for which the RDN has responsibility.

That doesn't include Gabriola. The island has its own fire department, under the auspices of what’s called an Improvement District. However, the discussion provides insight into the increasing demands upon fire departments in the area generally, driven by population growth and changes in provincial legislation. It also offers context for a discussion that recurs regularly on Gabriola -- namely, whether its fire department should continue to be governed by a local authority or be taken under the wings of the RDN.

In the second excerpt (43:23), the RDN Board considers a motion aimed at creating a more coherent approach to emergency services in BC generally. For this, the Regional District of Nanaimo needs to look to larger bodies – in this case, the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

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