Moving the Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department to a new location is years away as a location for a new fire hall is still a work in progress. 

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen were presented with the results of study on relocating the fire hall at their meeting on Feb. 6. 

The current fire hall is around 70 years old and past its functional life-span, and was not originally built to be used for the fire department, which has raised issues including WorkSafeBC deficiencies. 

"To give you an idea of the timelines that you're talking about, a new purpose-built station, I can take you on a tour of several that are 100 years or better," said Ernie Polsom, CEO of FireWise Consulting. "This is a long term decision, this is a major change in the community, so it needs to be modern, it needs to be up to speed, it needs to meet new technical requirements."

In addition, the facility doesn't meet post-disaster standards due to its location on the lower level of Keremeos on the floodplain. 

Director and Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne noted that floodplains in his own community had required them to move the Princeton fire hall into the industrial park as the highest land in the area. 

Splitting the fire hall into two locations, such as one at the upper level and one at the lower level of Keremeos was also studied but not recommended, as it would only increase costs through duplicating necessary equipment without the call volume to drive any need for it. 

The next phase in the process will be with the RDOS's planning committees and land use groups, and potentially the Agricultural Land Commission, to find a place that meets the requirements laid out in the relocation study. 

The study did look at three sites already, but further review will need be done by the RDOS. The recommended site out of the three studied by FireWise was an old gravel mine north of the current hall. 

The community would also need to be engaged as the project will be expensive and located near other properties already in use. 

FireWise Consulting also recommended putting in place an interim plan to address the WorkSafeBC deficiencies in the current building as moving to a new fire hall will take several years.