Bow Island purchases new vehicle for fire department, renews dispatch agreement

By Anna Smith
Commentator/Courier

Bow Island Town Council returned for 2024, starting the year off strong with their January 8 meeting.

Council passed a motion to purchase a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD, costing $74,743.25 plus incidentals, plus the addition of equipment in the amount of $80,825. This vehicle is intended to serve as a rescue vehicle for the town of Bow Island and surrounding area.

$117,568.25 will be funded from reserves, and the remainder from a Bow Island Fire Association contribution. It was noted that this decision arrived earlier in the year than expected, but the vehicle in question was already in Calgary, prompting a response.

The truck would replace Bow Island Fire Department’s Rescue Unit 1, which is noted in the agenda to have a smaller cab and with the increase in response to medical calls it is becoming difficult to fit the responding members in the cab with necessary equipment. The replacement unit will have a larger cab, and an equipment topper to store emergency response supplies.

The Town also renewed their Dispatch Services Agreement with the City of Medicine Hat. 

CAO Dave Matz remarked that there have been no significant issues with the agreement previous, and any instance where they’ve had to work with Medicine Hat has gone well. The renewed agreement will hold until December 31, 2027.

Full-time Bow Island Town employees will be enrolled in the APEX Supplementary Pension Plan to take effect in the 2024 fiscal year. The estimated financial impact is between $15,000 – $29,000 annually, depending on enrollment numbers.

Correspondence included a request from select residents in regards to the bylaw regarding urban chickens, something noted to have been enforced several times this past year. The decision was referred to the Bylaw committee.

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