The City of Burnaby has the power to recover close to $30,000 for time firefighters spent responding to an incident at the Parkland refinery, according to a report from its fire chief.
Burnaby firefighters spent more than six hours on standby outside the refinery after a problem cropped up during a restart operation on Jan. 21.
According to a report to council from Burnaby Fire Chief Chris Bowcock, the refinery experienced a failure in its fluid catalytic cracking unit, which caused “localized fire conditions” and resulted in the release of “partially combusted hydrocarbons in the form of heavy dark smoke with a strong sulfur odor, and an increase of discharge from the flare stack.”
Residents across Metro Vancouver reported smelling a foul odor, while Metro Vancouver issued an air quality bulletin. Air monitoring during the fire department’s deployment, however, identified no elevated levels or warnings, according to the report.
In late January, council asked staff to report back on whether the city could recover costs incurred by the fire department for its response.
On Monday, City of Burnaby chief administrative officer Leon Gous told councillors the city would now seek to collect the money.
“The direction we got from council last time was sufficient,” Gous said.
“The mechanism we are using under the bylaw doesn’t need council authorization, it’s essentially the fire chief who will issue that bill based on the current bylaws we have.”
The report states that the city can recoup those costs under its 2004 Fire Services Bylaw, which gives it the authority to do so for standby responses that exceed one hour.
According to the report, the fire department assigned a 2nd Alarm response and a Hazardous Materials Task Force.
That deployment included 34 members, 11 vehicles, and two RCMP officers with their vehicles.
In order to maintain adequate fire department service levels during the deployment, four engine companies, a command unit and two emergency dispatcher positions were backfilled with off-duty members, according to the report.
In total, the department estimates the cost of the deployment for the five hours and 15 minutes eligible for financial reimbursement total $28,963.54.
“We are in regular contact with the City of Burnaby and greatly value being a member of the Burnaby community,” the Burnaby refinery said in a statement.
“We are working directly with the Burnaby Fire Department and are committed to arriving at an amicable solution.”
Last week, Parkland estimated repairs and maintenance would likely sideline the facility for about four weeks.
In an update Sunday, it said there was a “low likelihood” of smoke or odours associated with the work, but that nearby residents could expect an increase in noise.
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