Dawson Creek Fire Services Expansion

How do I find the results for the consultations?

On the main page, under "Expansion Area Maps and Survey Results" you can view the summary of the expansion consulations.

What is being proposed?

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) are considering increasing the size of the fire protection area for the Charlie Lake Fire Department (CLFD). The expansion will include four specific areas: Sawyer Subdivision, Red Creek South, Bear Flats, and South Montney. Please check the expansion area map to determine which area you are in.

CLFD currently responds to numerous incidents of structural and interface fire protection, as well as conducting prevention and public education.

Why is this being proposed?

Following wildfires in the region in 2016 and throughout the province in 2017 and 2018, staff and the Electoral Area C Director received a number of requests to expand the Charlie Lake fire protection boundaries to provide service to an increased number of properties in both Area C and Area B.  

 In 2018, Dave Mitchell & Associates were contracted to conduct a review of the areas being considered for expansion.  Since that time, staff have conducted additional ‘on the ground’ information gathering, to ensure that the areas can be served by the Charlie Lake Fire Department with the current apparatus and staffing. There are approximately 175 properties proposed for the expansion.

What is a consent process?

Under s. 349(1)(b) of the Local Government Act (LGA) the Board may amend a service establishment bylaw with 2/3 consent of the participating areas. Prior to providing consent to amend a service area boundary, most regional districts will conduct public engagement with the property owners in the areas considered for expansion. The results of the public engagement must be summarized and sent to the Inspector of Municipalities when they are considering approval of the bylaw, which must be obtained before the Board can consider adoption of the bylaw.

Who can complete a survey on the proposed expansion?

We are looking for feedback from all residents and business owners within the proposed expansion areas. Opportunities for property owners to provide feedback through email and letter will be provided. Paper based and online surveys will also be circulated. The expansion area will be broken down into sub-areas and respondents will be asked to identify which area they are in, so it can be determined if each sub-area is in favour or not.

How is it determined whether or not tax payers support the proposed expansion?

• An information package will be sent to all property owners in the proposed expansion areas providing details of the costs and services being offered, as well as a survey (complete online or mail in or on voting day).
  
  
• Residents and business owners will be asked to complete the survey online or via paper copy. The expansion area will be broken down into sub-areas and respondents will be asked to identify which area they are in, so it can be determined if each sub-area is in favour or not.
  
  
• Advertising will be conducted to encourage property owners to review the information and provide their thoughts on the proposal.
  
  
• A virtual town hall will be held; hosted by their electoral area directors and supported by staff.
  
  
• Opportunities for property owners to provide feedback through email and letter will be provided.
  
  
• The information and surveys will also be available at voting locations on July 17, 2021 for residents within the proposed expansion areas.  

Will I receive lower insurance rates for my property insurance?

Please contact your home insurance provider to discuss the proposed changes and whether you would qualify for a rate reduction. This proposed expansion is to provide public safety and mitigation to the properties and is not based off of a reduction of insurance rates.


What does assessed value mean?

Assessed value is the amount that your property is worth. Tax rates are set based on the assessed value of your property; the more your property is worth the more taxes you pay.


Who assesses my property?

Property assessments are done by BC Assessments each year and are not set by the PRRD.
Find out more about property assessments by visiting: www.bcassessment.ca


The proposed expansion will obviously raise property taxes, but should lower insurance rates. It would be useful to know, on average, what that decrease would be?

Please contact your home insurance provider to discuss the proposed changes and whether you would qualify for a rate reduction. This proposed expansion is to provide public safety and mitigation to properties; it is not intended to reduce insurance rates.

What would be the water source for Briar Ridge? Would private water trucks be the only source?

The fire department uses water tenders (water trucks equipped with emergency lights, sirens and additional equipment) to supply fire engines with water. The Dawson Creek Fire Department will request mutual aid from a neighboring fire department in cases where they need additional water from Pouce Coupe, Tomslake or Tumbler Ridge Fire Department.

If this service expansion implies a substantial increase in taxes I would be opposed.

The tax rate for this service is $1.0214 per $1,000 on assessed value of land and improvements (home, outbuildings, etc.), which is based on current 2021 rates for this service.  This amount is for fire protection only and would be in addition to your current taxes.

If services are expanded to include these areas, shouldn’t this be done in in all areas with residential homes? How were the expansion areas determined?

Following wildfires in the region in 2016 and throughout the province in 2017 and 2018, a petition containing roughly 80 names was brought to the PRRD in 2019. The petition asked the PRRD to investigate fire protection being expanded to the South Dawson and Briar Ridge areas. Since that time, considerable work has gone into the best options available for the residents of the areas mentioned, which now includes Riley’s Crossing. There are roughly 337 properties in the combined proposed expansion area. If you are interested in fire protection for your property, please send a request to the Board of Directors of the Peace River Regional District at prrd.dc@prrd.bc.ca.