Forest Fire Hazard Climbing Again

With the recent bout of hot weather, the fire hazard is already back to HIGH. With that came a mutual aid call to assist Metchosin with a tree fire at Camp Thunderbird. Might seem like a bit of overkill for a tree fire, but this was no ordinary tree. The cedar was about 6 feet across, hollow in the middle and close to 200 feet tall. The fire had started at the base and was burning well over 100 feet off the ground. A professional faller had to be brought in to bring the tree down at which point crews spent a good couple of hours getting the fire out. To top this off, the morning fire occured at the same time as dozens and dozens of parents arrived in their cars to collect their kids from summer camp. This created a giant traffic jam as the sinle lane road was clogged with cars going up and down the road while negotiating around fire trucks and tanker shuttles.

It has been a rather busy week for calls these past few days. Another MVI occured on Sooke Road at Parklands when a vehilce left the road and into the gulley. The car didn't travel to far as it hit a tree but it was balanced rather precauriously on the crumbling bank. Crews used the winch from Rescue 1 to secure the car to allow the driver to exit safely. He suffered a hand laceration from his hand jamming the steering wheel. Otherwise he seemed OK.

Yesterday Sooke FD attended three calls almost at the same time. Luckily it was a Thursday night practice night so many firefighters were available. The first involved a 16 year old male cyclist hitting a car on Sunriver Way. He suffered a serious head laceration and numerous cuts and scrapes. Full spinal precautions were taken. While this was going on a burning complaint came in soon followed by another first responder call.

It is almost time to take on the new recruit class. Assistant Chief Mcleod was put through the paces last night as he fine tuned the new agility test. Since he came up with the test, it seemed only fair that he try it out. Luckily he survived so it appears the test is ok. Look for some new faces as we have 5 new applicants and 1 returning firefighter this fall. They will be attending for an orientation next Thursday night.

The paperwork has all been signed for the E-One pumper truck that we purchased. We are now working at finding the most reliable and economical way to get the truck shipped to Sooke from Arizona. It should be arriving within the next month.

Don't forget to RSVP Jan at the fire hall if you plan on attending this years Firefighter Appreciation Banquet. (It would be good to call or email if you cannot attend too!)

And finally the new exterior lighting project is finished. These new lights are certainly doing a much better job illuminating the parking lots. This means that the gym has power again too. Along with the lights, the removal of some of the landscaping has improved sight lines and safety concerns around the building. New plants will be installed this fall to fill in the voids.

Extreme Forest Fire Hazard Raises Concerns

Despite the one day of rain today, the recent bout of hot weather and never ending wind has certainly dried out the forest. This can be seen by the number of recent fires having been attended. There have been three on Harbour View Road, the most recent of which occuring at night. Crews did an awesome job getting this under control before the fire hit the forest. The fire was stopped only inches from the tree line. If we had been another few minutes, it certainly could have proved quite disasterous. Other recent fires included an out of control beach fire on Ella Road, another at Billings Park and a couple of set fires in Broom Hill Playground. Another attempted fire was found on the Gatewood Trail. Once the drying trend returns (tomorrow) please be careful out there and remind others to be as well. Reminder that campfires are NOT permitted in parks.

On another note, a tragic incident occured at the Sooke Potholes when crews responded to a medical emergency, only to find a woman had drowned. Firefighters recovered the body and carried her back to the parking lot for identification. RCMP are investigating along with the Coroners office.

It was a busy week for MVIs to. At the same time as the Potholes call, a single vehicle MVI with three occupants was attended on Sooke River Rd. The pickup truck went over the bank and down about 30 feet. The three young men suffered a variety of minor injuries and were very lucky to get out in the condition they did. A two vehicle crash on Sooke Road at Manzer Road created a big traffic delay. One vehicle was severly damaged, but luckily no serious injuries. A three car crash at Sooke and Otter Point Road again had no injuries. One of the vehicles was parked at the time and suffered some serious damage.

Starlight Cinema and Movie in the Park has now ended for the season. While the first three nights had good sized crowds, the Firefighters Association showing of Marley and Me was poorly attended. It was a shame as the funds were supporting a good cause. Maybe we should try again next year we advertising can be done well in advance.

New lighting is being put up in the parking lots of the fire hall and city hall. As a result the power is out in the gym. Hope to have the work done by Friday. Speaking of work on fire halls, Station 2 is undergoing a long overdue face lift. New panels are being installed over the old warped siding. A new coat of paint will also be applied to the exterior along with some minor work to the interior.

And finally about this blog. It is difficult to keep up with this due to other work constraints. As a result I will do a weekly update each Friday so look for more news this coming Friday and then each week after that. If you would like to have something added, please send me an email outlining what you would like to see or post.