Powell River’s firefighters are finally getting a new piece of firefighting equipment, after having to rely on a nearby fire station to fill their air tanks.
The system used to fill the self-contained breathing apparatus used by firefighters is more than 20 years old and again recently failed, Fire Chief Martin Drakeley told council last week.
“The current compressor that’s there is the one that has failed,” he said in response to council questions. It’s had serious mechanical failure. We were able to repair it, but the repair is temporary, and it has limited its lifespan.”
During the last breakdown firefighters were able to fill tanks at the Malaspina Fire Department, but Drakeley says a 30-minute turnaround time to drive to a nearby community to fill tanks and return during an emergency is not practical.
Council approved spending $110,000 from a reserve fund to purchase a new fill station for Powell River’s Fire Department.
