How worried should Taberites be about a draft report of the Town of Taber Emergency Services Master Plan?
To hear one of the reports architects tell it, Taber is not in good shape compared to other municipalities when it comes to a number of issues regarding fire-department coverage.
Perhaps the most alarming revelation in the report was the information which indicated Taber’s fire department could only react within 10 minutes  to structure fires that take place in the vicinity of the fire hall.
According to new building-code regulations, the ability of the local fire department to respond within 10 minutes, 90 per cent of the time, is key. The report said that is not possible, based on the last four years of statistics, for nearly every home and business located west of about 55th and 56th Street.
Simply put, that leaves a lot of Taber at increased risk, especially the parts of town where a vast majority of the new development is taking place — the northwest.
The report went on to say the current fire hall is not only in need of serious upgrades, but its location is less than ideal.
A new, centralized fire hall was suggested. Land near the hospital, in fact was recommended as a perfect spot.
Since the current fire hall was never built as a fire hall, and the building was constructed in 1974, the report stated it has outlived its usefulness.
Of course, a new fire hall will not come cheap, a fact town councillors stressed, especially when Taber already faces the prospect of paying off expensive stormwater work and the wastewater treatment plant.
So, do we desperately need a new fire hall? As one town councillor put it after Monday’s meeting, such reports often shoot for the stars, and look at what would be a 100-per-cent perfect solution for all of the town’s ills.
Would Taber benefit from a new fire hall? Absolutely. Does it desperately need one right now? Probably not.
In the meantime, however, a lot of questions need to be answered. Questions regarding the lag time the report found between dispatch and the fire hall, and when a fire chief will be hired are top priorities.
Of course, Alberta Health Services, and the never-ending drama regarding the takeover of ambulance services, raises another host of questions.