Selkirk Fire expands with resident firefighter at Bottle Bay station

By Reader Staff

The Selkirk Fire District is expanding its personnel and adding new technology, according to a pair of announcements at the beginning of January. 

Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS will assign a resident firefighter to the Bottle Bay Fire Station, tasked with fire suppression, EMS and responding to other incidents. 

The addition of Water Tender 1271 to the district’s staff “is part of the larger plan to further develop and enhance our volunteer program,” Selkirk officials stated in a news release.

“Volunteers serve an important role in our community,” they added. “While their roles are limited and response times usually longer, they provide an important depth to the organization and serve as an effective firefighting force.”

“Utilizing a resident firefighter at Bottle Bay will allow Selkirk Fire to make a minimal and manageable investment but significantly improve our services in that remote community,” the district stated.

Meanwhile, Selkirk Fire is rolling out two new programs to improve efficiency and reduce costs: First Due and PS Trax, which will function with the dispatch process and handle vehicle and inventory management, respectively.

First Due is also intended to strengthen record keeping, as well as monitor performance, improve payroll processing, centralize scheduling and more. According to the district, the program will combine activities currently performed by multiple systems and add features not available with the technology being currently used.

PS Trax is meant to augment Selkirk Fire’s vehicle inspection process and monitor maintenance trends and costs. The system will also monitor station and equipment supplies, tracking trends and analyzing costs in order to remain in budget.

“Efficiency in government can often seem like an oxymoron; but, throughout my fire service career, I have always worked very hard to ensure we are highly accountable for our expenditures,” Selkirk Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong stated.