King defends Holyrood fire department’s highway calls

By Mark Squibb

Holyrood council last week requested ministerial approval to borrow $217,517 to pay for a new firetruck.

The decision to buy the truck was approved last November, and councillor Laura Crawley, who moved that Holyrood borrow the money, reminded council that it had previously made provision for the loan payments in Budget 2024.

“We’re moving forward now because the time has come that the rescue vehicle will soon be on hand, and of course, we need to pay for it,” said Crawley. “So, this is not new money coming into play, this is money that has already been budgeted.”

The money will be borrowed for a term of five years with 10-year amortization rate of 5.1 per cent. The Town will pay $2,318 per month.

The provincial government has borrowed $100,000 towards the purchase of the truck.

Holyrood firefighters currently respond to all emergency calls in a pumper truck. Firefighters will use the new truck to respond to medical emergencies and auto accidents, saving the pumper truck for fire calls.

Council hopes the addition of the new vehicle, which is expected to arrive on September 30, will result in less wear and tear on the pumper truck and improve emergency call response times.

In other fire department news, councillor Bruce King said the fire department is starting an auxiliary group, which would allow them to fundraise.

King also noted some residents have questioned whether the fire department should respond to emergencies on the TransCanada Highway.

King dismissed the concerns in the strongest terms.

“There’s words I want to use but I can’t because it’s a family-related show,” said King. “But you can’t say stuff like that. Because if that was somebody belonging to you, or if you were up by Butter Pot Park and you hit a moose and you’re on the side of the road bleeding to death, are you going to say, ‘No, don’t send the fire department to help.’ That’s unrealistic.”

King later added the fire department receives financial compensation for attending highway emergencies.
The initial compensation was $350 for up to three hours and then $50 for each additional hour.

As of April 1, that amount has increased to $1,050 for the first three hours and $150 for each additional hour.

The department has earned $24,850 in highway call compensation so far this year.

In 2023, the department responded to 45 highway calls, and received $15,750 as a result.

King said another “unrealistic” expectation is for the provincial government to pay for all fire departments across the province.

“If the government pays for the fire department, where’s the government getting the money from?” he asked. “It’s still taxpayers’ money. So, if there’s 480 municipalities on the island, and everybody wanted the government to pay for their fire department, you wouldn’t have much money left. So, that’s not going to happen.”

Year to date, the department has received 72 medical calls, and 29 highway calls.