Cluny Fire requests action on hall and equipment issues

By Sharon McLeay Times Contributor

Andrew Tschritter and Dave Nelson from the former Cluny Fire Protection Association appeared before Wheatland County council Sept. 4, to question council about actions regarding the transfer of equipment and hall remediation.
The association indicated they were dissolving the association in November 2018 and were told a transfer agreement for the equipment would be forthcoming. They were sent a sample “transfer of assets” form that was used for the Strathmore Fire dissolution process and staff clarified it would be similar to the form used for the Cluny dissolution process. It took about 19 months to conclude dealings with the Strathmore Fire dissolution.
The Cluny fire hall is part of the inventory and an inspection process was done. The county occupational health and safety officer audited the hall and found black mould had spread to concerning levels. Tschritter said utilities are now shut off and he wondered if the cool temperature will increase mould blooms. Council asked administration to look into whether power could be partially restored. Staff was aware there were minor mould levels in the past, but after the inspection the safety officer indicated the hall needed to be closed until remediation measures could be done. Asbestos contamination was also suspected.
“The days of us going in there and scrubbing, and I know I have been there and scrubbed mould down with bleach, are gone. Because if one person gets sick… guess what, we are in big trouble,” said Wheatland County chief administration officer Alan Parkin.
When the Cluny hall was closed, administration took the opportunity to send equipment for remediation, upgrades and pump testing.
Personal items were decontaminated and bagged, and sent to the Gleichen hall in August.
“We didn’t want to put their clean stuff back in the hall because that would defeat the purpose,” said Judy Unsworth, Wheatland County regional fire chief.
The inventory report is done and was sent to the former Cluny Fire Protection Association secretary treasurer. The process of valuation is ongoing, but Unsworth was waiting on some financial documentation from the association that was just recently received to move processes along.
On Sept. 4, representatives at the county said information on all the measures taken was not reaching the association members and fire volunteers. Unsworth said she spoke to Andrew Tschritter and delivered reports to the secretary treasurer. She concurred that the information chain may have broken down and they might not have had updated information.
“I hope when the new communications officer gets here that he or she will impress upon you and everyone here that communication has to be a movement of ideas, not something kept in your own head,” said Nelson. “We haven’t heard from you.”
Unsworth said the association has been dissolved, so she had been communicating with the former secretary treasurer, who exchanged information through written correspondence. She had not documented phone calls and face-to-face meetings.
“This is a series of unfortunate events. I felt we had a good relationship with the association. They have done their due diligence and have done so for 51 years. I feel the utmost respect for these gentlemen,” said Unsworth. “I feel now, at this point, we have been forced to deal with something that we hadn’t seen coming our way. I don’t feel we would ever have closed that fire hall. I told that to these gentlemen and I said that in good faith. We were working together to make things better and Andrew had been making good strides. So, I think we need to separate these issues.”
Fire prevention for the Cluny area is currently handled from the Gleichen hall and Tschritter said by the time Cluny firefighters reach the Gleichen hall, Gleichen had already responded to the calls. When Cluny firefighters respond as well, there is currently no equipment for them to use. Two firefighters had accepted to work out of the Gleichen hall.
There was discussion whether the Cluny hall could be fixed, whether a new hall would need to be built, if the Gleichen hall should be expanded or whether a new hall could be built that would house the two services. If a new hall were built, discussion centred on where it would be located. The plumbing, electric and structural assessments will be done to assess the stability and safety of the structure before any decisions regarding the hall will be made.
The process to build a new hall will take about two years. So when the Cluny fire equipment is ready for return from its maintenance, a storage location will need to be found. A nearby Hutterite colony offered to house the equipment but was declined by county staff. The Siksika fire hall also offered a bay, but staff decided travel time to and from Siksika hall did not make it an acceptable option. Councillor Scott Klassen suggested maybe a temporary heated building could be an interim solution.
Nelson anticipated the public in Gleichen and Cluny would not like a hall situated out of town. Councillor Jason Wilson said it may be fiscally responsible to build a joint use hall.
The representatives present asked for better information moving forward.
“We looked to you people for leadership and we haven’t got it yet,” said Nelson.
Unsworth said she is open to suggestions for solutions and ultimately wants to do the right and respectful thing for association members, the firefighters, the municipality and the ratepayers of Wheatland County.