Good news on the waterfront - ha ha - both Prestige Hotel and Mariners Site have their hydrants activated now. In the event of an emergency, this will certainly make things easier. Budget discussions began this week with all departments presenting their 5-year operating and capital budgets to council for their review. The next session(s) will be April 4 and 5 at Committee of the Whole.
The new pickup truck has arrived and is almost ready for service. It just needs stripes and decals (being applied this weekend) and then the cover for the pick up box will take place on Monday. When this is complete, it will go into service as Unit 209 (Batallion 1). Unit 208 will then become Squad 1 - This truck is now almost complete and looks pretty good for a homemade job. All that is left is the rear bumper which is presently being manufactured. This vehicle conversion being done in house and by utilizing a used body came in almost 50% under the budget that was projected. Thanks again to Chris for all his hard work in getting this unit ready. With 208 as Squad 1, Unit 210 (the old ambulance) will again become Squad 2 and be moved back to Station 2. I would expect all of this in place by early next week.
Provided the budget is approved, specs will be drawn up and sent out for bids on the replacement of Unit 204. It is anticipated that this truck will be delivered sometime in early 2012.
I attended the LG EPAC meeting yesterday at CRD Headquarters (lots of acronyms I know) but the interesting thing was a power point presentation by the Saanich Emergency Coordinator on the effects of the two earthquakes that hit Christchurch NZ. Some very interesting stuff here and I will get a copy of the presentation for everyone to view. Somethings that will really make you think about how prepared we think we are. With this in mind and the terrible situation in Japan, I will be planning an EOC exercise based on a large Tsunami off the Coast of Oregon on Saturday, April 30th. It is hoped that many of the DOS staff and volunteers will attend. Check out the email I sent out earlier today for more information.
On a final note, it appears that Evolutions may be on again. (Sponsored by the Vancouver Island Firefighters Association) this is a fun weekend of games and activies for all ages. It appears Ladysmith has offered to host and tentatively have put the date down as July 15 - 17. More info to follow.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Announcements
Congratulations to the following firefighters:
John Hester and Roy Mactavish have been promoted to Acting Lieutenants in their respective platoons. These are 3 month terms that can be renewed. Based on recommendations from their officers, these firefighters were judged to be good candidates for these Acting Positions. Well done guys.
The first member selected to the Safe Firefighter of the Month program was announced today. Firefighter Glenn Harrison was chosen by his platoon members. His insistance on ensuring that all firefighters riding in his apparatus wear their seat belts is a positive step in ensuring that everyone arrives safely at calls, training and back home to the station. Glenn was presented with a certificate, a stainless steel FD thermos and will have his photo posted on the January section of the calendar. Please take the time to review other safe practices and forward names of firefighters that go above and beyond in making sure things are done safely to the OH&S committee for their review.
Again, congratulations to the three of you. I have great respect for your dedication and performance. Keep up the good work.
John Hester and Roy Mactavish have been promoted to Acting Lieutenants in their respective platoons. These are 3 month terms that can be renewed. Based on recommendations from their officers, these firefighters were judged to be good candidates for these Acting Positions. Well done guys.
The first member selected to the Safe Firefighter of the Month program was announced today. Firefighter Glenn Harrison was chosen by his platoon members. His insistance on ensuring that all firefighters riding in his apparatus wear their seat belts is a positive step in ensuring that everyone arrives safely at calls, training and back home to the station. Glenn was presented with a certificate, a stainless steel FD thermos and will have his photo posted on the January section of the calendar. Please take the time to review other safe practices and forward names of firefighters that go above and beyond in making sure things are done safely to the OH&S committee for their review.
Again, congratulations to the three of you. I have great respect for your dedication and performance. Keep up the good work.
Spectacular Crash
A spectacular car crash occured last weekend when a car left the roadway, struck a hydro pole guy wire (narrowly missing the pole) crossed a driveway, hit a retaining wall and tree, continued across the driveway, struck the sidewalk, through a fence into the next yard, hit another retaining wall and came to rest on the passenger side against a house. The driver (the mother of one of our members) was conscious and still in the drivers seat on arrival. The vehicle was quickly stabilized by the crew on Engine 2. Next arriving Engine 1 assisted Engine 2 and Rescue 1 set up for extrication. The Jaws of Life were used to remove the roof and free the driver, who miraculously suffered only minor injuries. She was treated and released from hospital and is making a good recovery. Thanks to everyone for a job well done.
Emergency Preparedness
This has certainly been the hot topic of conversation after the devastation that has hit Japan. I would like to start by clearing up some of the rumours floating around about the potential of the Tsunami hitting Sooke.
First off, the letter to the editor in the Mirror was not correct in that the first warning for Sooke came at 8:00 am. I as Emergency Coordinator was notified by phone (three different phones) email and fax at 12:45 by PEP of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The first message was an Advisory - this is the lowest warning level there is. This was later updated to a warning (the second of the three levels) that a tsunami had formed in the Pacific Ocean and was heading towards North and South America. In all of the warnings and advisories that were issued, Sooke was not in the impact zone. In fact all areas South of Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island were not in the danger zone. In spite of this and for due deligence purposes and to be available if people called and had concerns, I activated the Sooke EOC to a Level 1 situation. I also sent an email to all DOS staff and Fire Department members advising them of what was going on. As there was no danger to Sooke, I did not ask for any additional staff to come in. My plan was to wait and see what happened in Hawaii and then wait for further updates. Once the wave hit Hawaii, the experts still felt that Sooke was in no danger. The wave was scheduled to hit the west coast of the Island around 7:00 am, so as a precaution I had Rescue 1 stage at Whiffin Spit to monitor the situation and advise anyone coming down that walking on the beach might not be a good idea. By 8:30, nothing noticeable had been reported and the crew was called back. All in all though, it was a good learning exercise.
As for some other questions that people have asked. No Sooke will not be building a sea wall around the District of Sooke. NO we do not have any Tsunami warning sirens. And finally, we did have Tsunami Warning Signs that were placed at low areas in the District as well as Evacuation Route Signs. Due to many local persons complaining before Council that the signs were lowering their property values, all the signs were removed. As for how to warn people if a Tsunami were approaching Sooke, the only current method we have would be to use the PA Systems on the emergency vehicles and go door to door warning people in low lying areas (provided we received enough warning time) Currently there is no budget to allow for any additional tsunami warning systems in this area.
From what the "Experts" have told us, Sooke is at a fairly low risk for a tsunami due to our unique topogrophy and harbour location. The maximum wave height that might be anticipated is not expected to exceed 1 meter for this area. Areas that are much more at risk would be Jordan River, Port Renfrew and apparently Esquimalt.
Hope that clears things up for people.
First off, the letter to the editor in the Mirror was not correct in that the first warning for Sooke came at 8:00 am. I as Emergency Coordinator was notified by phone (three different phones) email and fax at 12:45 by PEP of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The first message was an Advisory - this is the lowest warning level there is. This was later updated to a warning (the second of the three levels) that a tsunami had formed in the Pacific Ocean and was heading towards North and South America. In all of the warnings and advisories that were issued, Sooke was not in the impact zone. In fact all areas South of Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island were not in the danger zone. In spite of this and for due deligence purposes and to be available if people called and had concerns, I activated the Sooke EOC to a Level 1 situation. I also sent an email to all DOS staff and Fire Department members advising them of what was going on. As there was no danger to Sooke, I did not ask for any additional staff to come in. My plan was to wait and see what happened in Hawaii and then wait for further updates. Once the wave hit Hawaii, the experts still felt that Sooke was in no danger. The wave was scheduled to hit the west coast of the Island around 7:00 am, so as a precaution I had Rescue 1 stage at Whiffin Spit to monitor the situation and advise anyone coming down that walking on the beach might not be a good idea. By 8:30, nothing noticeable had been reported and the crew was called back. All in all though, it was a good learning exercise.
As for some other questions that people have asked. No Sooke will not be building a sea wall around the District of Sooke. NO we do not have any Tsunami warning sirens. And finally, we did have Tsunami Warning Signs that were placed at low areas in the District as well as Evacuation Route Signs. Due to many local persons complaining before Council that the signs were lowering their property values, all the signs were removed. As for how to warn people if a Tsunami were approaching Sooke, the only current method we have would be to use the PA Systems on the emergency vehicles and go door to door warning people in low lying areas (provided we received enough warning time) Currently there is no budget to allow for any additional tsunami warning systems in this area.
From what the "Experts" have told us, Sooke is at a fairly low risk for a tsunami due to our unique topogrophy and harbour location. The maximum wave height that might be anticipated is not expected to exceed 1 meter for this area. Areas that are much more at risk would be Jordan River, Port Renfrew and apparently Esquimalt.
Hope that clears things up for people.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
News and Weather Update
Was trying to decide whether there was any news to update (ha ha - joke) There always is around here. It looks like Chris has nearly finished working on 208 and has done a remarkable job getting all the lights mounted and working. The paint and body work on the truck body also came out very nicely. The crew at Otter Point Collision did a great job. All we need now is a rear bumper, but we should be able to put the truck back into service by weeks end.
Still no word on the new pick up truck other than Jenner doesn't know where it is. They called today to tell me it hadn't arrived. Maybe tomorrow - time is running out as we need to get this thing finished and ready for service by months end to qualify for the grant we received.
On another note, I will be taking next week off so if you have any issues that require immediate assistance, please contact the Deputy or Assistant Chief depending who is working.
Still no word on the new pick up truck other than Jenner doesn't know where it is. They called today to tell me it hadn't arrived. Maybe tomorrow - time is running out as we need to get this thing finished and ready for service by months end to qualify for the grant we received.
On another note, I will be taking next week off so if you have any issues that require immediate assistance, please contact the Deputy or Assistant Chief depending who is working.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Upcoming Events
Several events are on the horizon that may be of interest to members. On April 10 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm will be the annual meeting of the Archipelgo CISM Society at Langford Fire Station 1. Of particular note will be presentations on the Critical Incident Stress aspect of those involved in the Hudson River Plane Crash in New York, workers in the Haitian and Chilean Earthquakes as well as some information on military members returning from active duty overseas. This could be quite informative.
The District of Sooke will be hosting an Open House at the Community Hall on April 14th. They have invited all of the volunteer emergency services to put on a display. Lets try to get some good ideas together. Maybe something on the FD (recruiting, 1ooth anniversary ???) Pub Ed could do something on preparing homes for forestry season (Fire Smart or ???????) ESS could do a presentation on Earthquake Preparedness or ?????????? Anyway, if you have an idea or want to attend, let me know.
The Officer Board met last night and had a good meeting discussing many issues. Some ideas that will be investigated include updating our recruiting procedures, working on new preplans with a new drawing program recently installed, more weekend training events, health and safety concerns, an update on the situation with the current fleet, Performance testing to be integrated with fit testing and lung testing (all coming up this spring) and all members MUST participate.
Don't forget that next week is the annual general meeting of the Sooke Firefighters Association as well as the Sooke Fire Rescue Society. Election of officers will take place. Instead of complaining about what people do or don't do, why don't you try serving on a committee this year and helping out. The more people involved, the better the Association becomes.
The District of Sooke will be hosting an Open House at the Community Hall on April 14th. They have invited all of the volunteer emergency services to put on a display. Lets try to get some good ideas together. Maybe something on the FD (recruiting, 1ooth anniversary ???) Pub Ed could do something on preparing homes for forestry season (Fire Smart or ???????) ESS could do a presentation on Earthquake Preparedness or ?????????? Anyway, if you have an idea or want to attend, let me know.
The Officer Board met last night and had a good meeting discussing many issues. Some ideas that will be investigated include updating our recruiting procedures, working on new preplans with a new drawing program recently installed, more weekend training events, health and safety concerns, an update on the situation with the current fleet, Performance testing to be integrated with fit testing and lung testing (all coming up this spring) and all members MUST participate.
Don't forget that next week is the annual general meeting of the Sooke Firefighters Association as well as the Sooke Fire Rescue Society. Election of officers will take place. Instead of complaining about what people do or don't do, why don't you try serving on a committee this year and helping out. The more people involved, the better the Association becomes.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Busy time at Sooke FD
It has been a rather busy few days here at the fire department. Today was certainly busy for calls as we began with back to back calls for a transformer fire and a first responder call. This was followed by another burning complaint, a first response call and then alarm bells at the Museum again. (and it is only 6:00 o clock). Truck 208 is now back in building having returned from the body shop where the new service body with extra height ground clearance has been repaired and painted. Staff are now installing the lighting components. In addition a new rear bumper will have to be installed. Hopefully it is all in place by about weeks end. The new replacement for 209 should also be arriving any day (possibly tomorrow even) - (snow providing) Yes, that is the rumour tonight - it might snow some more. Should make for a fun commute if it does.
Thanks to all the members that attended the training session at Mariners on the weekend. Matt did a great job setting up a rescue scenerio and spent considerable time in training some of the newer members on how to package and load an injured patient into a basket stretcher and then secure them with ropes using the ladder truck as a means of picking the patient off the building. Look for many more training sessions to be held at Mariners over the coming months or even years as this project progresses. Here is an interesting bit of news too. Who ever thought they would see tower cranes in Sooke. Well it appears this is a reality as Mariners will have not one but two or more on site as they move into the next phases of construction this summer. These rigs will probably stand close to 150 feet high and should be visible from all over the community. Signs of a growing town.
A new drawing software program was installed on the FD computer system today. This will give us the ability to draw accurate floor plans and site plans that can be used for preplans at major incidents. Once these are completed, they will be loaded onto the command computer and can be printed in the field for use at these sites. Now that is a major step forward in fireground tactics.
Thanks to all the members that attended the training session at Mariners on the weekend. Matt did a great job setting up a rescue scenerio and spent considerable time in training some of the newer members on how to package and load an injured patient into a basket stretcher and then secure them with ropes using the ladder truck as a means of picking the patient off the building. Look for many more training sessions to be held at Mariners over the coming months or even years as this project progresses. Here is an interesting bit of news too. Who ever thought they would see tower cranes in Sooke. Well it appears this is a reality as Mariners will have not one but two or more on site as they move into the next phases of construction this summer. These rigs will probably stand close to 150 feet high and should be visible from all over the community. Signs of a growing town.
A new drawing software program was installed on the FD computer system today. This will give us the ability to draw accurate floor plans and site plans that can be used for preplans at major incidents. Once these are completed, they will be loaded onto the command computer and can be printed in the field for use at these sites. Now that is a major step forward in fireground tactics.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Another Fire Station for Sooke?
Sooke Fire Rescue Service moved one step closer to having another fire station within its jurisdiction as the Silver Spray Fire Hall site was officially turned over to the District of Sooke. This site is located on the first lot in Silver Spray at 6989 East Sooke Road. (it is the small lot loacted along the dotted line nearest Pike Road) Eventual plans call for a small one or two bay fire station. It is anticipated that a small mini pumper will likely be the first apparatus assigned here, however depending on the size of future developments on these properties, a larger fire apparatus may be required. The next step is to determine if sufficient area residents are interested in becoming volunteer members of the department and are willing to look after the needs of this area.
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