Fire prevention and department news for Hornby Island Fire Rescue
We have lowered the flag on the Hornby Fire Hall to acknowledge the passing of Denman Island Fire Chief Don Luckett (retired). Chief Luckett died this morning after a battle with cancer. Our thoughts are with our friends at Denman Island Fire Rescue and Chief Luckett’s friends and family.
The Coastal Fire Center of the BC Wildfire Service has put a campfire ban in effect beginning Friday, July 12 at noon. Propane fire rings are still allowed.
Eight new fires have started in BC in the last 24 hours. It’s important that we do what we can to not overwhelm our firefighting resources. It could be a long, hot, dry summer.
If you see a fire on one our beaches, please call the non-emergency number at the fire hall (250.335.2611) and you will have the option to be connected with the fire patroller.
CSA and UL certified propane fire rings are permitted. They can be identified by their lack of smoke, sparks, and consistent flame.
It has been a few years, but we’re back with another Cadet Camp. This is a one-day camp for kids aged 10- 14. They’ll learn fire safety, how to escape a burning building, first aid, use real fire extinguishers to put out a real fire, and advance and spray a fire hose.
They’ll come back in the evening to show off their new skills in front of their parents and family. We’ll be at the firehall all day except for an afternoon event in the school parking lot.
We’ll be holding it on March 30 from 10AM – 3:30PM. Lunch is included and the camp is free. You can register at this link, or by calling the fire station office at 250.335.2611.
After far too many cancelled years, it’s back!
The weather is forecasted to be a warm 5 degrees with a slight chance of showers for the 2022 edition of the Hornby Island Polar Bear Swim. HIFR will be at Grassy Point beach with trucks, hot dogs, chai and a big bonfire in anticipation of the multitude of swimmers hitting the water at noon sharp.
This is a great family event with everyone from 6 years old to those in their 80s swimming or just watching the spectacle.
Pro tips:
1) Bring a mug for the hot chai to avoid a single-use cup.
2) Wear water shoes because the pebbles can be hard on your feet.
Saturday, Nov 19, 10-noon at the fire hall. There will be coffee and cookies!
It’s back. I have never seen such extreme fire-hazard conditions so late in the season. After 3 days of “extreme” hazard, we are obligated to put the high-risk activity ban in effect. No chainsaw or brush cutting for the next few days. Hopefully, Friday will bring rain and everything can return to normal.
You may have heard or read the news that the Coastal Fire Centre is removing the campfire ban in our area. This is certain to cause some confusion because we will not be removing the campfire ban on Hornby Island.
The simple explanation of our bylaw is that we can be MORE conservative than the province, but we can’t be LESS conservative. If the Province puts in a restriction, then we have to follow it. If they remove a restriction, we are not obligated to follow.
When I look at the closest observation stations to our area (Cedar, Bowser, Quinsam) they are all at extreme fire hazard and are forecasted to stay there for the rest of the week. When I add in how little rain we had last week, I believe it would be irresponsible to remove the campfire ban.
As always, if you see a wood fire, please call 911 to report it. Propane fires are allowed, as are fires in a wood stove in your house. If you are lighting up your woodstove, first have a look at your gutters and make sure that they aren’t filled with dry material ready to catch on fire from an errant spark.
Effective 0800 on Saturday, Sept 16, the ban on high-risk activities has been lifted. This follows the lowering of the fire danger rating two levels to “moderate”. A total fire ban remains in effect. If the fire danger rating goes back to extreme and stays there for three days, the high risk activity restrictions will go back in effect.
We have added a new way of calling for help. If you are near the fire hall experiencing an emergency and need assistance, you can hit the new panic button at our front door. The button is tied into our monitored alarm system and will result in a duty officer being paged for an unknown emergency at the fire hall.
Response time will be 5-15 minutes. There are no sounds or flashing lights indicating that anything is happening, but the messages and pages happen very quickly.
