LaSalle considering cost of bringing full-time firefighters to town
Full-time firefighters could come with a tax increase of 8-12%
If LaSalle residents aren't willing to host a satellite fire station in their neighbourhood they may have to pay more to maintain safety standards, according to the town's mayor.
Council rejected a plan for a satellite fire station in June due to public concerns about the disruption it could bring to the community. But requests to move the site somewhere else comes with problems of its own, said Ken Antaya.
"We met resistance and a number of comments came out that people felt it should be in a more desolate area," said the mayor. "But when you do that you're defeating the purpose of responding quickly. The further you put it from the area in need the longer it will take to respond the area in need."
The only way to ensure residents are still protected is to pay for a "manned" station somewhere more rural, but Antaya said that could come with an tax increase ranging from eight to 12 per cent to cover the cost.
Station a 'safety beacon' for community
The town's administration has been directed to prepare financial profiles of both a new location with full-time staff and one with volunteers — the option the mayor still says he prefers.
"I think the satellite station was viewed as a disturbance to the neighbourhood and we preferred thinking of it as somewhat of a safety beacon for the community," he said. "We're an expanding municipality with a lot of residential areas and we have to make sure we're covering those areas in compliance with the fire code."