Beiseker Fire Chief Bob Ursu told Village council during its Sept. 26 council meeting the fire department’s engine is facing problematic and costly issues.
Ursu said initially the department thought the engine, which was purchased in 2013, had minor problems that could be fixed in station, and a company was brought in to take a look at it at the beginning of September.
“They found a whole bunch of stuff wrong,” he said.
Ursu said though the fire engine can still drive and operate, the pump and valves are starting to seize up, causing it to experience reduced efficiency.
He said the engine would be taken to WFR Wholesale Fire Rescue where an intensive repair estimate would be conducted.
In the meantime, Ursu said the Beiseker Fire Department would rent an engine from WFR at $66 a day to ensure it could still protect the community in the event of a fire.
“I can see this getting expensive,” Beiseker Mayor Ray Courtman said.
Ursu suggested the best means of mitigating the issue might be to sell the fire department’s rescue truck and engine in its current state.
The money raised from the sales, he said, could be enough to purchase a fully functional engine he estimated could be found for approximately $40,000.
“Ideal situation is, we sell them both,” Ursu said. “We should be able to get this other one straight across if things work out right.”
As of press time, Ursu said there was no set date for when the engine would go to WFR.
Water averages
The estimated average of water added to the Beiseker reservoir daily has reduced significantly in the past nine months, according to Public Works foreman Dave McKenzie.
In January, the Village incurred an average of 371 cubic metres per day, he said. This rose to 467 cubic metres in February, 398 in March and trended in the 300s for the next four months.
In August, McKenzie said Beiseker’s daily average reservoir fill up was 227 cubic metres and from Sept. 1 to 26 it was sitting at 178 cubic metres.
“I’m really happy about the numbers,” McKenzie said. “They have come down dramatically over the last nine months.”
McKenzie attributed the high levels throughout the year to a rash of water main breaks the Village experienced.
Councillor Warren Wise said Beiseker needed an action plan in place if usage starts to rise again.
Since the amount entered into the reservoir daily is only a baseline to discover significant increases and does not reflect exact usage, he said this plan should include monthly updates on the water the Village has used compared to the water it has purchased.
“I don’t ever want to get into a position again where we don’t even know what’s happening,” Wise said. “We want to know right away (and) be able to jump on it.”
