Firehall upgrades and establishing a standard for response times are among the recommendations the city has to consider when looking at the future of fire protection.
Nearly three dozen recommendations will come out of a recently completed Fire Underwriters Survey.
The survey is an evaluation of the city's fire protection programs and are carried out nationwide with the results are used to establish a public fire protection classification for each community.
Among the findings by SCM Risk Management Services Inc., were for the city to improve coverage by optimizing fire hall locations, improving ladder coverage and improving the available fire force.
Upgrades to all of the city's fire halls were recommended, which wasn't a surprise to members of council.
"[Firehall No. 1] has been flagged since 1960, I believe, to be replaced," joked Coun. Cameron Stolz.
The fact that the downtown hall also houses the communications centre was something to be addressed, said SCM director Michael Currie, noting the dispatch site was "susceptible to damage."
" I'm speaking just about the level of passive fire separation throughout the building - the lack of current building code adherence and compliance, the lack of sprinkler protection, in some cases in some fire halls, the lack of smoke detectors," Currie said. "These buildings should be highly protected. They are going to be the centres of operation for emergency response and they should be considered as extremely important, just like your hospital."
The last Fire Underwriters Survey was completed in Prince George in 1985, and the level of risk has grown faster than fire protection, the survey found.
Part of the issue is the city's footprint.
"Of all the communities I've seen, it is one of the most widespread. Its footprint is the fundamental issue with respect to our risk assessment," said Currie. "The dispersion of risk is really widespread and i can't overstate that."
The survey's results will be rolled into further work on the city's fire protection. As part of the core review, council approved a standards of response coverage study, which city manager Beth James said will begin in the year's second quarter.
That study will look at the city's overall system, how it's grown and where gaps need to be filled.
