Reigonal Haz Mat Training Exercise Held in Sooke

Sooke Fire Rescue Service hosted the first of a series of Greater Victoria area live training exercises for the CRD Hazardous Materials Team. In this scenerio a 100lb container of ammonia had fallen over and began leaking in the ice making room at the Seaparc Leisure Centre. Using a variety of props, a large gas cloud could be seen forming above the arena building. Sooke Firefighters arrived on scene with their small hazardous materials trailer but quickly realized that they had insufficient staff or equipment to deal with this emergency. As ammonia is a deadly gas, the arena and pool were quickly evacuated, Phillips Road closed to all traffic and nearby homeowners were told to leave or stay indoors with all their windows and doors closed. (all simulated). Sooke Firefighters set up decontamination equipment and called for help from the CRD Haz Mat team whose equipment is based in Central Saanich. (The CRD Haz Mat Team is comprised of members from Greater Victoria Fire Departments who have received extensive training and are certified Hazardous Materials Technicians - there are approximately 85 technicians within the CRD of which 6 are members of Sooke Fire Rescue) In this exercise, technicians from Sooke, Metchosin, Colwood, Saanich, Oak Bay and Central Saanich attended. With the arrival of the Hazardous Materials Truck, crews were put into Class A chemical suits and sent in to deal with the event. At the conclusion of this scenerio, crews broke for a lunch break and then went on to deal with a second scenerio that afternoon. This was a great training event for all the members, giving responders a chance to work with different groups and be better prepared for the real events when they occur.

Late Night Fire Concerns Firefighters

A late night fire in a 35 foot fifth wheel caused concerns and a few anxious momements for the 13 firefighters that responded at 3:00 am on Nov 17. The trailer was fully involved on arrival with an adjacent green house on neighbouring property also burning due to the extreme radiant heat. With the high winds embers were being blown throughout the area. Sooke Fire Rescue's newest Engine was the first apparatus on scene and quickly proved its worth as an effective firefighting tool. The second in Engine arrived from Station 2 and established a water supply from a nearby hydrant providing Engine 1 with more water. Engine 1-2 arrived next and was initially used to patrol the neighbourhood, checking for other fires that may have been caused by the flying embers.
Investigators returned that morning but were unable to determine a point of origin due to the extensive damage. However circumstances have concluded that the fire is suspicious in origin and the file has been turned over to the RCMP for follow up.

Roll Over MVI Challenges Firefighters

A single vehicle MVI on Sooke Road Monday evening took the ingenuity of firefighters to free the trapped driver. The victims car had hit a tree, rolled over onto its roof with the driver ejected partially through the windshield. The vehicle was quickly stabilized using the crew from Engine 2, while Engine 1 and Rescue 1 crews operated rescue tools and set up lighting. With the ALS ambulance crew seriously concerned over the victims deteriorating condition, firefighters used the Jaws of Life to cut all of the roof posts on one side of the car. Once cut, the winch was used to pull the car up and off the victim while at the same time the windshield was removed from around her torso. From arrival to final extrication, the entire task was completed in just under 30 minutes. Ambulance crews rushed her to VGH where she was placed into an induced coma, but at last report was said to be in good condition. While this was all going on, Squad 1 and Brush 2 set up traffic control to divert vehicles along Parklands Road. This was instrumental in keeping the scene safe while allowing traffic to flow. Sooke Road was closed for about 4 hours while the RCMP traffic analyst completed his investigation. BC Transit also called to commend the firefighters on their great efforts in allowing the busses to safely move on the winding, narrow detour road. This was a great effort by all emergency responders and all of you should be very proud of a job well done with a very successful outcome.

Metchosin Structure Fire Requires Mutual Aid

Metchosin Firefighters were summoned to a reported chimney fire in the 900 block of Kangaroo Road during the evening of Nov 3. Arriving on scene, Metchosin found they had a structure fire that was quickly escalating. With no hydrants in the area, a long steep driveway and limited access a call was placed for mutual aid. This included an 2 engines from Langford, a tender from Sooke and another tender from East Sooke. While Metchosin and some Langford crews worked the fire, the remaining crew from Langford and Sooke firefighters set up a relay pumping system and established a tender shuttle operation. Hose was pulled from the top of the hill, connected to a Metchosin Engine, down to the first Langford engine located part way along the driveway. This was then connected to the second Langford unit which was set up near Kangaroo Road, adjacent to the porta-tank. Tenders from Sooke and East Sooke then shuttled water from the nearest hydrant. The house, 4 storeys in height was now fully involved with flames at least 100 feet in the air. Despite the best efforts of many firefighters and the time it took to get a water supply established, the house was lost. Fortunately the gentlemen living in the home escaped with his dog. Crews were on scene for over 4 hours. Cause of the fire is unknown at this time.