Author: admin

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.

After skipping the last two years, we are proud to be able to host the Hornby Island Blues Camp bass workshops in our apparatus bay. Anytime we can find an alternative use for our community fire hall it’s high fives all around.

This morning a concrete mixer ended up on its side on Central Road. The incident happened when the driver moved the truck to the right of the road, concerned about oncoming traffic. The very soft shoulder grabbed his tire, sloughed away and put him into a deep ditch. No injuries were reported.

Two minor oil leaks into the ditch were mitigated by fire crews and no environmental damage occurred. Company representatives were on scene within an hour to organize a vehicle extraction operation, including an environmental hazard response team on scene. Our appreciation goes out to the ready-mix company for their incredibly quick, environmentally responsible, and compassionate response.

To anyone held up by the road closure, thanks for your patience.

One of my favourite parts of this job is advancing rookies up to the rank of firefighter. That event usually follows two years of training, six hours of practical exams, and a two-hour written test. The practical exam covers portable pump operations and troubleshooting, deploying attack lines, putting equipment back in service, ropes, knots, hoisting, ladders, and many other skills.

I’m pleased to announce that Innes Hood, Alex Ortwein, and Ian Graboski have been promoted to “firefighter”. Their commitment to our team and our island community is inspiring.

We were able to secure funds to do another round of the chipper program that we trialled last year. This year it will be the week following Thanksgiving.

We are often asked how to dispose of expired or damaged flares. Ideally, they would be taken back to the point of purchase, but that is sometimes impossible when shops move or go out of business, or when the owner forgets where they bought the flares.

Here is a great opportunity to safely dispose of any old flares.

Congratulations to Rob Lewis who over the last few months did a huge amount of studying to get two significant certifications. He is our third NFPA 1001 firefighter level II, and our second recipient of the Fire Officer II certifications. His dedication to continued training sets a fantastic example.

Ben Marsh is the first of our members to help out on the fire fighting front in the interior this year. On Sunday morning he travels to Vernon with a team from Oyster River Fire Rescue. They’ll be working on an engine crew that is dispatched to extinguish spot fires on properties at risk. Stay safe, Ben.