After a $15,000 donation from Enbridge Pipelines Inc. from its safe community program, the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) is even closer to its goal of building a live burn fire training facility.
According to BRFA chief Brian McEvoy, the program is an initiative from Enbridge to support first responders, including ambulance, search and rescue, and fire departments, and the grant funds can be used to purchase anything from projects for training purposes to rescue trucks.
The BRFA has been raising funds for the project for two years, aiming to raise about $160,000 for the facility, and thanks to the additional $15,000, they are now over halfway there.
The facility would benefit the BRFA as well as fire departments for St. Paul, Lac La Biche, and the rest of the area, McEvoy added.
He said the fire authority has a long-standing partnership with Enbridge, meeting annually to ensure emergency responders are kept up-to-date on current pipeline projects in the area. The company has supported other local emergency responders in the past and this year, chose to support the BRFA in raising funds for the live burn fire training facility.
"We're looking for more partners to do as Enbridge did and invest in the emergency first responders to help us all collectively make it a safer place," McEvoy said.
"Enbridge is really excited about this partnership because not only is it a benefit to Bonnyville and the surrounding communities, it's also a benefit to the entire industry that's here, not just Enbridge who has operations here, but the entire industry," said Danielle Bertsch, senior advisor for stakeholder engagement with Enbridge.
"I think it's a great thing for all of us to be involved in and support the services that we rely on to keep our employees and our communities safe."
