Genelle’s Fire Station will remain operational with conditions, after a motion was passed at this morning’s vital Regional District of Kootenay Boundary’s (RDKB) East End Services Committee meeting.
Station 373 was set to close on June 25, however, the fate of the station will now rest with the community to build membership for paid and on call staff.
Andrew Espenhain, spokesperson for the Genelle Fire Service Advisory Group says there is a lot of excitement in the community following the unanimous decision.
“The community has put a lot of hard work to get us to this point and the regional district has done a great job giving us a chance to prove what we do what we said we could now.” said Andrew.
“For three months, residents poured their hearts and energy into saving our fire hall. Today, we celebrate that our voices and efforts have triumphed. Genelle showed its true spirit, and we are immensely grateful to the Committee.”
Moving forward, the Regional Fire Chief will begin recruitment to in the coming weeks as they focus on the conditional operation plan for Station 373, starting with boosting membership numbers for paid and on call fire fighters.
This RDKB-established framework outlines stringent requirements, including achieving 15 firefighters by September 1, 2025, consistently providing response, and maintaining at least 10 active firefighters to avoid potential renewed closure discussions if benchmarks are missed. These conditions present the next challenge for ensuring the station’s long-term success.
“People we’ve identified in town will get their chance to put their applications in and try to get hired as part of the team,”
“We’ve had a great network of people out on the streets talking to everybody and we have a strong list of people who have committed to us that they’re going to apply based on the information they have.”
“We just need everybody to follow through on what they said as soon as the opportunity is there.”
And while the conditions may prove a challenge, its nothing other fire halls across the Kootenays aren’t facing.
“These conditions definitely have some roadblocks in them and some hurdles we have to get through as we go through this, but you know, we live to fight another day.”
Today’s meeting included the advisory groups’ last stand featuring a 450-strong signature petition, supported by 281 letters from Genelle residents pleading for a better outcome.
“I want to thank the regional district; this has been a lot of work over the last three months. I know it’s consumed a lot of people’s time and effort, and we appreciate the fact that they listened to the residence and then give us a second chance.”
If you are interested in signing up, your chance is coming soon. Keep and eye on the RDKB website.
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