TNRD approves use of AAP for borrowing $6.3M for new Kamloops Search and Rescue hall

The future of the split hall housing both Kamloops Fire Rescue and KSAR in Rayleigh will be decided through the alternative approval process (AAP), with all member municipalities and regional areas voting.

“We did reach out to all the other SAR teams in the TNRD and they were all supportive. I think the biggest reason why is that this is going to be a regional hub, a regional training centre that we can all get together at, we can train, we can have meetings. It’s great for the entire TNRD and all the teams that work and operate in the region,” added Davies.

“We go further than the TNRD boundaries if we are asked to do so. Sometimes we are even asked to go up north where they do have even fewer members in their teams. We are here to help each other out. We call on the other teams of the TNRD as do they call on us.”

The new hall, if successful, will provide KSAR with five garage bays along with shared space with KFR. The funding split is 75 per cent TNRD, 25 per cent for the City of Kamloops. As call volume and complexity of calls increase for KSAR, the space is badly needed.

“What’s happened is now the calls go up but they become more complex. We don’t have a lot of the equipment… moving forward that we need to be able to do the job properly. It’s just an ongoing need,” said KSAR VP Frank Pryce.

The TNRD will need approval from the province to proceed with the AAP. It’s expected the vote could occur during the spring or summer, with voters provided a minimum of 30 days to register their opposition.

KSAR will also be providing $1.4 million to the build through a fundraising campaign volunteers plan to launch soon. The fundraising goal is higher with the hopes of using anything over the top for ongoing maintenance and the new equipment mentioned by Pryce.

“We are probably the only SAR team in B.C. that has been asked to raise some money, so we are not coming to the table with empty hands. We are bringing dollars with us and we are fully committed,” said Davies.

It was stated the borrowing of up to $6.3 million equates to $7 per year to the average TNRD home owner.

“This is what AAPs were designed for,” said TNRD board chair Barbara Roden during the meeting. “It’s $7 per year on the bill of the average TNRD resident. I think $7 per year for the average household is a tiny price to pay for what KSAR does, and I’m not for a moment suggesting that anyone around this table disagrees because I know we are all in agreement on this. It’s just the process. I don’t think we need to get bogged down in the details of the process. I think we need to go ahead. This is, I believe, the fourth time that KSAR has presented to us on this subject, so we’re all well versed and I think we need to push ahead and get this done as quickly as possibly so that we can start moving forward.”

Roden advised her board to take stock of how many times KSAR has come into their communities to render aid during trying times, as they work to push the project forward.

“I’ve already spoken with staff about the need for a full court press on this and absolute transparency explaining exactly what we’re doing, exactly why we’re doing it and we would all need to get behind it because we all have a part to play,” added Roden. “I would suggest that each one of us that wants to support this needs to find out instances where KSAR has come into your area. I think if we dug just a little bit into our areas, we would find many such stories involving KSAR and of course our many wonderful search and rescue people.”

by Michael Reeve

TNRD approves use of AAP for borrowing $6.3M for new Kamloops Search and Rescue hall

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