Kamloops City Council will consider the possibility of building a new Protective Training Facility.
With regional firearm ranges and training facilities not meeting the increasing mandatory training requirements and travelling outside of
the BC Interior for mandatory training is becoming increasingly costly and time consuming
Kamloops RCMP Superintendent Syd Lecky says the facility would be for more than just police. The proposal would see it located within the City’s Civic Operations Yard and would include an indoor firearms range, a large, warehouse-style building that can be used for Immediate Action Rapid Deployment and scenario-based training and an expansion of the shared classroom space that is currently dedicated to Kamloops Fire Rescue. “If it’s built where it is and partnered adjacent to the KFR training facility itself, there’s benefits to having classrooms already established. So we can actually host some of the in-classroom training and some of the other practical aspects of it.”
Lecky says officers are often sent out of the city to receive training which costs time and money. “Any time spent away is time they’re not boots on the ground here. So how do you quantify that in terms of value to our community? I can only tell you it’s a lot of value, because just to drive to Chilliwack and back is going to eat up an eight hour day.”
“If you multiply that by 136 members just for the municipal detachment, the numbers start to add up on annual basis of how much time is spent just on the commute. Then you have to consider that compensation that comes with actual time spent at the facility.”
The report, which council has accepted for information, indicates the proposed facility represents approximately $675,000 per year to the City in both revenue and avoided costs. It is also expected to have minimal operational and maintenance costs.
Based on initial estimates, it’s projected that the facility will cost about $8.755 million and it’s looking to the 2025 construction year to build. It is recommended that the RCMP Training Facility proposal be included in the 2020–2024 Five-Year Financial Plan.
