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Search and Rescue Update

Hornby Island Fire Rescue, along with many other community members, has been involved in an intense ground search for Orlando Graham. The RCMP, 442 Squadron from CFB Comox, Canadian Coast Guard. the Rescue Coordination Center in Victoria, Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue, and many other Search and Rescue (SAR) groups from Campbell River to Cowichan, have been searching the water and land since Wednesday night. At times there were upwards of 75 people working within the organized search plan and countless others searching on their own.

The response from the Hornby Island community has been every bit as generous as we’ve come to expect. The various SAR teams have been astounded by how well our island has looked after them and supported their efforts. We’re extremely proud of our island and particularly proud of our Fire Department. Our members absolutely shone in their assigned tasks, demonstrating professionalism, passion, and dedication to the job.

We can’t thank enough everyone who helped out, but there were some standouts. Valerie Pagnier came 4 times with batches of fresh baking and Mia Wood made lunch for 40 people. Rachelle Chinnery and Theresa Hamilton did a search detail, then worked the rest of Thursday and Friday coordinating food and coffee. Ian Emberton took time away from the new twins to transport food and to make a batch of cookies. Many other Islanders patiently waited to be assigned a search team and then diligently carried out their task.

Wilson Curry worked tirelessly all Thursday doing several search details. Then at the end of the day slipped on a rock and badly sprained his ankle. We wish him a speedy recovery and thank him for his hard work.

At this time the command structure of all of the involved organizations agree that any location where Orlando would be if he was injured or needing help has been exhaustively searched by both people and 4 dog teams. There is, however, no conclusive evidence to indicate what has happened to him. Please have a good look in any of your outbuildings, cabins, or structures.

The off island SAR teams have left and aren’t expected to return unless additional information or clues emerge. The RCMP will continue to comb the coastline from the water as well as exploring other investigative avenues. The Fire Department has stood down but is ready to start it all over again if something comes up.

All of our members, as well as the community at large, are extremely saddened by Orlando’s disappearance. Our hearts go out to Veronica, Renaud, and the rest of Orlando’s family.

Chief Giff LaRose
Deputy Chief Doug Chinnery

If you have any concerns or questions about the search please contact Doug at 218-9156 or Giff at 335.1115. We are happy to provide any information that we can.

Training Training Training

Like most aspects of life, the training is never complete in the fire service. The last few weeks have been particularly packed with our members upgrading their skills.

Al Cannon went to Maple Ridge for a 4 day rescue basics course. Although Al is fully competent in rope rescue and auto extrication, this course is the prerequisite for all other advanced rescue courses like confined space rescue.

We sent Duncan MacCaskill and Sasha LeBaron to Abbottsford to take part in a training officers conference where they also did a 2 day low angle auto extrication course. These skills would come into play if a car went off of and of the many steep embankments that we have around here. They also took a drills development course to improve our weekly practices.

Doug Chinnery and Giff LaRose also went to Abbottsford where they joined Duncan and Sasha for  a 2 day course in leadership for the fire service. This course teaches leadership and communication skills tweaked for the fire service.

Julian Laffin and Mike Nordmann did a 1 day course in Comox where they got the basics of emergency scene management. This will enable them to take command of a scene if they are the first arriving officers.

Patrick Lui continues his rookie training in hopes that by fall he will have completed his basic firefighter training and will become a full member of the group.

Training is the biggest part of what we do. Every week we train in house, and several times a year our members get send off island for more in depth training. We’re proud of our training record and the quality of skills and knowledge held in our small department.

 

School Kids Visit for Fire Safety

School children visit HIFR for fire safety workshopOn May 16th, the Fire Department was pleased to welcome 6 students from our local school to attend a morning class on fire safety around the house. Led by 3 of our fire fighters, we started the morning off with a discussion about what fire is and what we need to be concerned about. Our knowledgeable students then joined us in the kitchen to examine what is hot or not, if it is safe to leave pans on the stove, and why it is not safe to play in the kitchen. We finished the morning off in a room filled with thick smoke and the sounds of fire and smoke detectors while a fire fighter came to our “rescue”. This gave our students a chance to recognize what it would sound like and look like if a fire ever happened at home and get some tips on how to react. After a final chat upstairs our students returned to school with smoke detectors to be installed in their bedrooms, a map to plan their escape routes, and some quiz books to encourage additional learning.

We would like to remind families that it is recommended that they install smoke detectors in each bedroom and all the major rooms in your home. They should be tested and have the cobwebs cleaned out monthly, and have their batteries replaced each year. If you find you have to pull the batteries to “shut up that smoke detector” you may be interested in kitchen smoke detectors that have 5 minute “snooze buttons” on them. After 5 minutes they will turn themselves back on ensuring you are alerted to possible fire emergencies. Advanced warning of a fire is the best insurance you have that your loved ones will not get hurt. Take the time to establish your escape routes, decide where to meet outside the home, and practice it yearly.

Our volunteer Fire Department is committed to the life time task of understanding fire and protecting our community. If you have a Hornby Island group that would like to spend time with our fire fighters learning more about safety in the home or business, please contact Hornby Island Fire Rescue. We are always delighted when our community members join in our passion.

We thank Ruth, Aaidan, Braelin, Jade, Raylen, Sarah, and Sequoia for investing in their future by coming to learn about fire and how to stay safe. It was a fun and productive morning.

Wood Stove Inspections

As many of you know, getting a WETT certified inspector over to the island can be an expensive proposition. We at HIFR have looked into getting one of our members certified but the cost is huge, the liability insurance is out of this world,  and the certification process is unworkable for us on a remote island.

It’s short notice, but on June 1st Comox Fire and Patio is sending someone over to do an inspection. Chances are good that if he can do several inspections while he’s here, the cost per inspection will be reduced significantly. If you’d like to get in on the inspections on June 1, I suggest calling Comox Fire and Patio at (250)338-8522.

Challenging Auto Extrication Practice

The extrication team working on getting the doors removed.Last Thursday evening’s practice was a beauty. Sasha organized Eban and his backhoe to set up a car in the gravel pit. They put our rescue dummy into the driver’s seat, flipped the car upside down on a hill, and pushed it down until the roof caved in.

When we arrived on scene, incident command assigned an extrication team and a medical team. The extrication team got to work immediately on getting the car cribbed up and stabilized, making it safe to work around. The medical team was able to get into the car 7 minutes later to begin work on our patient. While they were dealing with Rescue Randy’s injuries, the extrication team was removing the doors on the car in order to get the patient out.

Medical team working on the patient while the extrication team removes the doors on the other side.

Our patient was fully extricated on a backboard and into the back of the ambulance in under 50 minutes. Thanks to Sasha for organizing this involved exercise.

Burn Permits Now Required

It’s that season again. Permits are now required for any open burning larger than a campfire. Permits are free and are available by calling the Fire Department at 250.335.2611. On Wednesdays and Saturdays we will come by to have a look at your burn setup and write the permit.

The permit process is to ensure that anyone who is planning on doing a burn has taken all the appropriate precautions. To hasten the permit process please make sure that your fire is:

  • not under power lines
  • not under tree branches
  • a safe distance from any buildings
  • on mineral soil, not organic soil
  • not containing any plastic, rubber, or petroleum products