City council voted to approve a piece of critical equipment to the Merritt Fire Rescue Department’s operations at last Tuesday’s regular council meeting.
Council unanimously approved $11,769.65 to replace the MFRD’s broken thermal imaging camera, the funds for which are to come from the council’s contingency fund.
“For just under $12,000, it’s a pricey piece of equipment, but it’s something we use on a daily basis,” Merritt Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson said, adding it is a critical piece of equipment to their operations.

A thermal imaging camera renders infrared radiation as visible light, allowing firefighters to see areas of heat through smoke, darkness, or heat-permeable barriers.

Tomkinson told council the fire department has two thermal imaging cameras which assist its initial attack team in finding victims or the seat of a fire. They also assist the Rapid Intervention Team, tasked with search and rescue of downed firefighters.

After a fire, the camera is also used to search for hot spots, which reduces water damage and time spent on the scene.

“The camera has countless other uses on and off the fire ground, and is occasionally loaned to the RCMP to conduct surveillance operations,” Tomkinson told council.

Tomkinson said he’s unaware of how the camera, now inoperable, broke.

He said it is checked on a daily basis and one day in August, during a daily equipment check, firefighters discovered the camera to be inoperable.

After that, they sent the camera to the repair centre in Edmonton, where technicians sent it back in pieces.

Tomkinson said he was informed the cost to repair the camera far outweighed its value.

Its warranty expired in 2009.

Water meter study a no-go for now

City council decided not to act at this time on a request to read water meters in Merritt. At the July 9 regular council meeting, Chair of the Water Resource Advisory Committee Ginny Prowal requested the city create a list of residential water meters in Merritt and take a one-time reading of those meters.

Upon reviewing the costs that would be involved in the list and reading, Public Works Superintendent Darrell Finnigan advised council not to act on the request at this time. Council voted 6-1 not to act on Prowal’s request. Coun. Clara Norgaard opposed the recommendation.

Council also unanimously agreed not to install a water meter for the water line running into the Kengaard Learning Centre to accommodate the fire sprinkler system.

From teen centre to kids centre

Council also heard a delegation from Lenora Fletcher, executive director of Merritt Youth and Family Resources Society, on the organization’s plans to use the old teen centre building on Coldwater Avenue as a place for kids up to 12.

Fletcher said MYFRS is looking to obtain a resolution from council regarding the renewal of their lease.

“We don’t want to compete with the centre that we used to provide,” Fletcher said, noting MYFRS wants to focus on a group that doesn’t have full access to social services.

She also said they’re looking at having the Boys and Girls Club use the building.

They will be meeting with members from Kamloops Boys and Girls Club and the regional representative will be coming to meet with them later this month, Fletcher said.

She said they plan to be not-for-profit and although they will have fee-based services, they’ll also have some free programs.

Mayor Susan Roline said she’s glad the society is moving in another direction with the facility.

“Hopefully it is more conducive to how the city expects them to use that building. If they went into too much of a commercial operation, it changes the whole use of that building,” Roline said.

The building sits on city property but is owned by MYFRS and the area is zoned for public use, Roline said.

City council is expected to respond to the request by the next regular meeting on Sept. 24.