Wild Weather

It has been a crazy week of wild weather with more to come. This weather system has kept members of the Sooke Fire Rescue Service hopping as call after call continues to come in. It all began with icy roads which contributed to a number of crashes. One spectacular crash on West Coast Road had a pick roll over 3 times before coming to rest in the trees. The driver escaped unharmed. Just as crews were clearing from this, another crash on Sooke Road where a car hit and broke a telephone pole. While at this one, another reported crash at Gillespie Road proved unfounded. This was followed shortly by another car crashing through a fence on Sooke River Road. Then the snow started. It snowed and snowed and then cars fell off the road. It always amazes me how people get caught off guard and attempt to drive on poor tires in bad conditions. Oh well, keeps the emergency services and tow companies busy. After dealing with all of those related calls, plus the usual first responder calls, there was also a smoke in structure call which turned out to be a faulty furnace. This was the first emergency response made in the new snow plow vehicle. (by the way, the plow works great - Have you seen the new DOS Engineering Vehicles with their new graphics. It is quite eye catching) The next day the calls started all over again, first a tragic incident in which a body was discovered under the Sooke River Bridge. Firefighters assisted the coroners service in carrying the man up to the roadway. A cause of death is unknown at this time. Later in the day, a car fire was reported but was extinguished by the owner using snow and a bucket of water. Despite his efforts, the van is probably a write off as all of the wiring was burnt up. Shortly after that, alarm bells at Ayre Manor sounded. One of the residents had pulled the alarm. According to her, a sign should be posted above pull stations warning people not to pull them. Can't argue with that kind of logic. Just clearing that and another FR Call came in. And now I have just found out that a major weather system is moving in likely bringing more snow to be followed by heavy rain. With all of the freezing ground, don't be surprised to see some flooding next. Can't wait for March to start and this weather to end. Thanks so much to everyone who has turned out for calls in this. We appreciate your help.

And finally congratulations to Uncle Cam. His sister just had her baby.

Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Several members of the Fire Department and District of Sooke Staff met with the consultants and other stakeholders from the CRD and Ministry of Forests this past Friday as the community wildfire protection plan moves forward. This plan is being put together thanks to a $100,000.00 grant received from UBCM and the Province of BC to develop a comprehensive plan dealing with wildfires and the urban interface. As a joint effort between the DOS and the CRD, this plan will cover all of Sooke as well as the communities of East Sooke, Otter Point, Jordan River, Shirley, Port Renfrew, Piers Island, Willis Point and the CRD Watershed. To date the consultants have mapped most of the terrain and determined areas most at risk using a variety of formulas from fuel typing, topography, access, availability to firefighting equipment, smoke issues, evacuation and so on. These latest meeting were a chance for the groups involved to provide additional input and rate what locals considered the most serious risks and challenges we face. The next meeting will feature a draft report of the final plan and is expected within the next month or so.

News and Information Update

I have been rather busy of late, so haven't had much of a chance to add anything so now seems like a good time for an update. I have been attending several meetings regarding emergency preparedness that have kept me rather busy. A three day seminar was held in Victoria with attendance from almost any emergency and government group you can think of being there. This included fire departments, police agencies, ambulance, CRD Protective Services, CRD Water, Ministry of Forests, Terasen Gas, DND, and well lots more. All were there to review and rate this regions most critical hazards. Over 100 possible situations were reviewed including forest fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist threats, contamination of drinking water, major storms, power outages, loss of communications, avian flu and well you get the picture. Each one was reviewed and rated by each participant. The results will then be reviewed and from this, the top ten will be selected for further discussion. From here, the top 5 will be selected in great detail. A region wide exercise will be planned to check out the capabilities of agencies to respond in the event one of these catastrophes should occur. If any gaps are found, applications can be made to the Federal Government for funding. All of this is being paid for by the Feds. Kind of our version of Homeland Security. It is all very interesting and at times mind numbing. Quite an eye opener though when you get to hear what other agencies have to consider as threats. Apparently there are more than just fires to worry about. Anyway, having been in on this from the start as a member of the steering committee it is all very interesting and informative. We are only the fifth region in Canada to get this done and are therefore considered a guinea pig as this process is refined to eventually be rolled out across the country. More to follow as it becomes known.

Triathlon Update

The first meeting for the upcoming (August 7) Subaru Triathlon was held last night as preparations get underway for the 5th version of this popular event. For those not familiar with this, the triathlon involves a swim in the lake at Camp Barnard, 4 laps on a bicycle from Camp Barnard and down Otter Point Road to West Coast Road to Otter Point Road and around again and again and again (about 80km) and then the final segment which begins at the municipal hall and consists of a half marathon run from City Hall to the end of Whiffin Spit and back (twice). Many, many volunteers are needed to help make this a success. This a fun, family activity with many additional plans being added this year including a free fitness trade show at the Prestige Hotel open to everyone on the preceeding Friday night and Saturday, kids events, a chance to meet some Olympic Gold Medal athletes and more that is still being worked on. Help is needed for some traffic control, parking attendants, working in the food area to supply the participants with a food break, operating water stations along the routes, ham radio operators for emergency communications, first aid people, set up and take down crews. Friends and family members are all welcome. You can register as a volunteer on line (I will supply the link shortly) or sign up on the board in the fire hall. Now if you are in a fitness mode, you could also compete as they are now offering a category just for emergency responders. If you don't want to do the entire event, there are shorter Olympic and Sprint versions which have less laps to do, or you can even enter as a relay team where one person does the swim, one bikes and the other runs. As an added incentive, the FD will cover the entry fee cost of the first relay team (and/or individual) to come forward and agree to enter the race. Also this year, it appears that a full one hour television production will be made of the race and will include features on Sooke and surrounding areas throughout the show. Last year the Vancouver Race was featured and the show was broadcast 21 times across the country where 1.7 million people watched the program. What a great opportunity for this community. This is all leading up to our hopes of gaining Ironman Status for the 2012 race. Wouldn't that be something? So, if you are interested in any part of this, please let me know. The more the merrier so don't be afraid to twist a few arms to encourage others to help. How about operating a FD Water Station along the route where members can decorate the area, dress up in costumes, maybe even spray water to cool down the runners. All ideas are welcome.