The Beiseker Fire Department has a new fire chief, following the second retirement of former chief Bob Ursu at the end of 2020.
Beiseker Village Coun. Nikki King has assumed the department's top position, after being appointed to the role at the last Village council meeting of 2020.
“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity,” said King, adding she looks forward to “providing a stable fire service to the village and county.”
The Beiseker Fire Department’s future was discussed at the Dec. 14, 2020 council meeting. According to the Village of Beiseker’s January newsletter – the Mainline Express – Ursu’s retirement and the department's inconsistent volunteer support meant the municipality was faced with the possibility of shutting it down.
If that were to happen, according to the newsletter, the Village would sign an agreement with Rocky View County (RVC) Fire Services to have fire services provided by the County’s Irricana station.
However, the newsletter stated council also considered a proposal from fire department member Amanda Davies, who presented a comprehensive plan and budget to keep the department active.
“After careful consideration of the proposition, council has approved [Davies’] proposal, resulting in an opportunity for the department to continue,” the newsletter stated. As a result, the Beiseker Fire Department now has a new five-year budget projection, as well as a 2021 operating budget “that will be an affordable and sustainable service” for the village.
“The staffing practices have been redesigned to promote recruitment, retention, and commitment,” the newsletter stated. “Together, these adjustments will support training initiatives that will enable the Beiseker Fire Department to deliver a professional volunteer firefighter.”
Davies will continue with the department as deputy fire chief, according to King.
She added residents of the village seem pleased to learn the department will not be absorbed by RVC Fire Services. According to King, Beiseker’s 24-7 fire department is currently healthy, with 68 volunteers, some of whom travel to the station from Airdrie and even as far away as Calgary.
“We have an interesting and unique fire department and model we operate under,” she said. “If we lost that, the likelihood of ever being able to put the fire department back in service again would be very slim. This was our last shot to try and save the department from closing permanently.
“Judging from the feedback I’ve received, people were very happy to learn the fire department would continue to be serviced by Beiseker.”
While Beiseker’s department is independent, the fire department has a mutual aid agreement with RVC Fire Services’ Irricana station, according to Heather Leslie, the Village of Beiseker’s chief administrative officer.
“If we need help in the village with an incident, Rocky View is there to assist us,” she said. “Eventually, once we get the fire department up so it’s running full-force, 24-7, we could be called out to any incident in RVC that is in our jurisdiction – that’s how mutual aid agreements work.”
As the department continues to operate, King and Leslie encourage residents of Beiseker and nearby communities to sign up for training to become a volunteer firefighter. King added a recruitment push is currently underway, with ads posted online.
“We’re always looking for new volunteers,” she said. “We’re currently holding a recruitment drive right now – our post was just put on Indeed.ca – and we welcome our community to come on in and visit. The coffee pot is always on and we look forward to continue being a part of the community and helping the community.”
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
