Fort St. John will be providing fire protection services to the John Horgan Dam and Generating Station

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The city council will be endorsing a Fire Protection Agreement worth $75,000 between the City of Fort St. John and BC Hydro for fire protection and emergency response. 

At the June 22nd City of Fort St. John regular council meeting, council approved the staff recommendation to endorse the agreement. It authorized the mayor and the corporate officer to sign it. 

The report said that since 2018, the city has provided fire protection and emergency response services to BC Hydro’s Site C project through a series of time-limited agreements and extensions. 

This was done to maintain continuous service coverage during the project’s construction and transition phases. 

Due to the site’s transition from a construction-based environment to an operational generating facility, the report said there is a requirement to move from short-term extension agreements to a comprehensive long-term service contract. 

The proposed agreement will establish a formalized framework to provide fire protection and emergency response services for BC Hydro infrastructure, including the John Horgan Generating Station, associated facilities, and ongoing construction activities such as the Cultural Centre project. 

The report said the agreement will define the scope of services to be provided, establish a sustainable cost-recovery model, and incorporate updated contract language that reflects current best practices.

In securing a long-term agreement, the city and BC Hydro will gain certainty, reduce administrative inefficiencies, and ensure the continuity of emergency response coverage for critical provincial infrastructure. 

The city will receive $75,000 annually under this three-year contract, in addition to a response fee as per the BC Inter-Agency Operational Procedures and Reimbursement Rates. 

According to the report, the proposed agreement between the city and BC Hydro provides the city with a revenue source and significant savings for BC Hydro, compared to the cost of establishing a new fire response service. 

To read the full report, see below.