Bolstering fire protective services throughout Lac La Biche County continues to be a priority, says the municipality’s fire chief, detailing the latest upgrades to a rural fire hall.
John Kokotilo says a new water well drilled this year at the Owl River Fire Hall will help emergency departments to better serve callouts in the area.
The project is good news for residents in the area, says Lac La Biche County’s Ward 6 councillor Sterling Johnson.
Access to the 250-foot well’s water source will allow firefighters to respond quickly without having to transport heavy loads of water from other sources, or be forced to drive equipment to the waters of Lac La Biche Lake or the Owl River to draw water throughout the year, says Johnson. Many access points to the lake aren’t easy to navigate with large firefighting equipment, he added.
“We have been waiting for years and years for a truck fill station out of the lake. You got the big hill coming out of Poplar Point there, so the fire trucks have a rough time climbing that hill with full loads.”
The project will drill the water well at the fire hall with a 10,000-gallon cistern—a large underground receptacle—to hold the water for emergency use, says Jon Skjersven, the Manager of Utilities for Lac La Biche County.Options and Costs
After assessing different options such as a 100-meter long intake line complete with a dry hydrant at the Poplar Point boat launch at a cost of $300,000, says Skjersven, the better and more cost-effective option would be the well with the cistern attached at a cost of $92,500.
What's Next
In the long run, says Skjersven, the successful completion of the project will be beneficial for emergency service departments by allowing them to hook up their fire trucks through a standpipe and control the system with a float switch quickly in the area—similar to a process available to firefighters in Hylo.
Kokotilo said firefighters across the municipality, whether working from a more urban or more rural fire hall, must have proper access to water service. If it can’t be piped in from a utility water source, the next best options will be available.
“Hylo works excellent. We had a fire there last year where we had a tanker shuttle going. Which means, we had tankers continually revolving and filling and we never had an issue. So, if we have something similar coming for Owl River, it would be fantastic.”
With the project’s approval, construction timelines and implementation details will follow.
