Port Moody will donate a couple of its decommissioned fire trucks to small communities in British Columbia’s Interior region.
But some councillors would like to see neighbouring cities with more financial means step up to the plate as well.
On Tuesday, Jan. 16, council’s finance committee agreed to a request from Port Moody Fire Rescue to send its old 1999 American LaFrance pumper truck that was retired last year to Loon Lake and its 1997 Freightliner rescue truck will go the volunteer fire department in Lytton Village.
In a report, PMFR chief Darcey O’Riordan said the trucks might fetch up to $17,500 combined if they were to be sold at auction. But their use by volunteer fire departments in remote communities facing increasing incidents of wildfires is invaluable.
Tyson Ganske, Port Moody’s deputy chief financial officer, told council the money might cover a one-month payment for the new rescue truck the city will be leasing at a cost of about $1.5 million.
Coun. Samantha Agtarap said firefighters are like “a band of brothers,” who like to help each other out.
“I think if we’re able to help remote communities prevent future wildfire damage, then I think we should do that,” she said.
Coun. Amy Lubik agreed.
“This is a small donation,” she said. “But for communities that don’t have the money to pay for new trucks, it’s a really important piece of what we strive for as a community.”
But Coun. Kyla Knowles said Port Moody’s precarious financial position that is placing a greater burden on the city’s property owners means it cal ill afford such generosity.
“Are we really in a position to be giving away our assets?” she implored her fellow councillors. “Other communities are in a better position to help communities in need.”
Mayor Meghan Lahti echoed Knowles’ reservations but ultimately supported the donation.
PMFR deputy fire chief Jason Harper told council the city has a history of donating decommissioned apparatus, including a 1995 Spartan pumper truck that was sold to the volunteer fire service in Seton Valley for one dollar and other trucks donated to fire departments in Mexico and Ecuador through the organization Firefighters Without Borders.
