Cardigan fire department budget ‘pretty well shot’

A rural fireplace division in japanese P.E.I. has nearly run out of cash, and the chief is not positive what’s going to occur if it does.

With the month of December nonetheless remaining in its monetary yr, Cardigan fireplace division Chief Tony Van den Broek stated there’s not a lot left within the division’s $110,000 funds.

“Our funds as of November thirtieth is fairly properly shot,” Van den Broek informed Island Morning host Laura Chapin.

“We nonetheless have a month to undergo. In spite of everything our payments are paid and that, we’ll be all the way down to round $3,000.”

Van den Broek, like many Islanders, has been coping with the rise within the worth of gas, and the division has additionally acquired much more alarm calls.

“At this level already, over final yr, we’re up by 40 per cent,” he stated.

“Usually we run between 30, 35 calls a yr and this yr, in October alone, we had 13 calls.”

Even false alarms costly

A few of these are false alarms, however even false alarms can take a chunk out of the funds given the rise within the worth of diesel.

At this level final yr diesel price about $1.50 per litre. The diesel worth fell Friday morning, however it’s nonetheless greater than $2.60. At that worth, driving 4 fireplace vehicles out to take a look at a false alarm can result in a shock on the pumps on the best way again to the hearth station.

“We prime them up each time we come again from a name and simply on that one quick name, with our 4 vehicles, that one invoice for gas alone was $400,” stated Van den Broek.

“It does not take lengthy utilizing these vehicles to run by way of $100 price of gas this point in time.”

The division shall be making use of to the native Three Rivers municipality for extra funding. Van den Broek does not know what the division will do if that funding is not granted.

“It is a entire new ball sport for us. We have by no means been on this state of affairs earlier than,” he stated.

“We nonetheless want to offer the service so we nonetheless should go after we get the calls. I suppose we’ll should determine that one out if now we have to cross that bridge.”

Along with gas the division has to pay for different upkeep on the hearth vehicles in addition to on the hearth corridor. Firefighter coaching can also be a major expense.

There are two ranges of fireside coaching, delivered at a value of greater than $2,600 per firefighter. As well as there’s medical first responder coaching.

It might make an enormous distinction to the division funds, stated Van den Broek, if the provincial authorities supplied coaching prices.

In an e mail to CBC Information, the province stated it already does present some assist for the hearth faculty — a $39,000 per yr working grant.

The province additionally lately dedicated to overlaying the price of medical first responder coaching for all volunteer firefighters in 2023.