Paradise Fire Hall: The Need Is Now

In cities across Canada, particularly larger metropolitan areas, the sound of a police, fire or ambulance siren is common - something people are accustomed to hearing. And ignoring. We are more desensitised and quick to dismiss the sound of a blaring siren somewhere off in the distance. It’s not my house that’s burning or someone I know who’s been in a car accident so I don’t give it a second thought. The northeast Avalon is no different. All of us are accustomed to seeing and hearing emergency vehicles speeding to a fire or accident scene. We hear a siren, pull over if we are in the way, and continue on as if nothing has happened.

The same cannot be said of small, rural communities where the sound of a siren,while rare, gets everybody’s attention. It may not be your house on fire, but it’s likely the house of someone you know. And those responding – usually volunteer fire fighters, people who unselfishly put themselves in harms way – are relatives, neighbours and friends. The sound of a siren in Harbour Breton or Fogo resonates personally and is not easily dismissed.

I live in Paradise and with its rapid growth and recent fire where a home was totally destroyed, fire protection, specifically faster response times, has come to the forefront once again. Everyone realizes the need for increased fire protection, but no one it seems, wants to pay for it. It is the 800-pound gorilla in council chambers.

And unfortunately, it’s not a matter of if someone will be seriously injured or killed; it’s a matter of when. Hiding behind the pretext that it’s cost prohibitive is, quite frankly, shallow and self-serving. Fire protection has been – to one extent or another – a contentious issue for a very long time. The need for a fire hall has been discussed ad nauseam for over twenty years. Yet, the town council has recently formed another committee – with the delays and costs such committees entail - to address a need that has existed since the 1980’s. (Or, at the very least, during the last municipal campaign.) We already know what the problem is - fix it. It’s what you were elected to do.

Undoubtedly, increased fire protection will cost more. But with the town’s increased residential tax base and higher mill rate, residents expected this and other needs to have been addressed. I have lived here for over fifteen years and my taxes have not gone down. Quite the opposite. The residential tax base has increased by almost 67% in that period and show no sign of slowing down. Tax revenues from businesses have also increased. So why the delays in addressing such a serious issue?

The town’s mission statement, outlined in its Five Year Strategic Plan states: We are obliged to collect taxes, provide services, and represent the people we serve in accordance with the terms of our incorporation and provisions of The Municipalities Act. (The plan also says that Paradise “does not want to be viewed as a series of large scale housing developments”. That’s one bell that can’t be unrung.) And while an arena is mentioned throughout the Plan – and we certainly need one – the construction of a fire hall or increasing response times is not.

Governing, on any level, requires both a fiscal and moral responsibility. But council can no longer give lip service to fire protection or put in at the bottom of its things-to-do list. Adequate fire protection is an essential yet costly service, but using a fingers-crossed-hoping-for-the-best-approach is not responsible on any level. Something for all of us to think about the next time we hear a siren in the distance.