Edwin Grieve hopes the sale of Mount Washington will “bring a fresh wave of optimism” to the community that is without fire services.
Grieve — the Area C director and chair of a fire service steering group for the mountain — and other members of the Electoral Area Services Committee were to receive an update of a fire service study Monday.
The regional district has hired a consultant to gather information and receive input from steering groups members and CVRD staff to develop a report with recommendations.
Consultants hosted an open house last month at Mount Washington but feedback about fire service was low. As such, it is difficult to determine the views of the broader community.
In February, a late night fire destroyed three cabins on Mount Washington. They were left to burn due to the lack of fire protection.
Grieve says the challenges of developing fire services for a mountain resort community differ greatly from a community such as Black Creek or Cumberland.
“Some areas are inaccessible to fire trucks, even in summer months, let alone when there is three metres of snow,” said Grieve, noting the mixture of single owner, strata and corporation-owned properties each poses unique concerns and interests on the mountain.
“(But) I look forward to working with Pacific Group Resorts on developing a model of delivering fire services to the community of Mount Washington.”
Last week, the mountain sold its ski and recreation operations to a subsidiary of the Utah-based company.