Even a small rural department like ours has gear that is underused, too old, or has been replaced with a better alternative. Firefighters Without Borders collects this gear and takes it to developing countries where they distribute it and give training in modern firefighting techniques.
Chief LaRose took a pickup truck load of helmets, bunker gear, hoses, old breathing apparatus, and some machinery to Vancouver Island where it was picked up by a FFWB rep for their upcoming operations.
It is satisfying to us that our old equipment is going to help out a smaller, poorer department instead of ending up in a landfill. Thanks to FFWB for all their good work.
On the afternoon of Saturday, May 19, we were called to Helliwell Park. We arrived on scene at the bluffs to find a motionless patient at the bottom of an overhanging 15-20 meter cliff. While we rigged our rope systems to get our team to the patient, two civilian first aiders were able to get to the patient from the water via private boats. They found the patient unresponsive, with no pulse and began CPR.
The Canadian Coast Guard was dispatched from French Creek and arrived just after the Fire Department team got to the patient. The rescuers at the bottom of the bluffs, with a belay from the team at the top, were able to transfer the patient to the Coast Guard boat on which she was transported to Tribune Bay to the waiting Air Ambulance crew. Sadly, the rescuers were never able to restore a pulse despite administration of CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator.
Witnesses say that she had been walking to the lookout near the edge of the cliff when she appeared to bend over to pick something up and fell over the edge. Our thoughts and hearts go out to friends and family affected by this tragic accident. HIFR is very appreciative of the help given by the two responders from Bowser, the impressive response from the Coast Guard and BC Air Ambulance, and the coordination from the RCMP.
To all the Hornby Island firefighters and the ones who wait.
He’s gone. Out the door, running. To the truck, to the station, to the house on fire. Met by all the others -courageous souls- having left warm beds. Minds woken and run-through with a quickening revision of skills. Flames ahead are not warming; they are not of the candle stick variety. They are a different beast, grown monstrous from pretty ember, from glow to raging live flame. He’s gone. Out the door. And I wait, in the dark.
With a sad heart we have had to cancel this year’s Cadet Camp. We only had 10 registrants this year and we need 12 to make it happen.
The spring break for this school district didn’t line up with the break for the South Island and Lower Mainland districts. This means that the 6 or 8 kids that have summer homes here weren’t able to attend. Hopefully next year the dates will line up better for us.
This year’s Cadet Camp dates have been set and the planning is underway. Kids between the ages of 10 and 14 are welcome to register for the 2 day event which happens on April 4th and 5th.
Get more info or register on our website. You can also register by calling the firehall at 250.335.2611 and leaving a message.
The Hornby Island Elder Housing Village is a convenient and affordable housing village for Islanders 55 years and older. The society that operates the village relies on the generosity of Hornby Islanders and the goodwill of volunteers to keep the rents as low as possible.
Chief LaRose volunteered the better part of a Saturday installing over a dozen fire extinguishers in the dwelling units ensuring that each unit has a working extinguisher. Thanks for your work, Giff.
On Jan 5 Al Cannon and I were in Enderby to convey Hornby Island Fire Rescue’s deep sadness in the death of Enderby firefighter Dan Botkin. We marched with over 1100 other firefighters in support of the Enderby Fire Department and a community mourning the tragic loss of one of their brightest stars.
The parade wound like a navy blue ribbon through 1KM of downtown streets lined with residents. The only sounds heard were the boots on the street and the pipers at the parade’s head… no cars… no busses… no voices. As we marched, the divisions between volunteer, paid, and auxiliary members melted away and we changed from an assembly to an association.
I saw the row of school kids who had been let out to watch the procession holding their colourful sign stating, “We salute our emergency workers” but was too emotional to acknowledge them. Same with the older gentleman who was unable to march but was standing along the route proudly wearing his long service medals.
Once at the arena, we entered in single file and filled the auditorium floor while the community members filled the stands. A moving service took place with some particularly powerful words from our Lieutenant Governor, Steven Point and two of Dan’s long time friends.
We travelled 11 hours each way in a cramped vehicle with 4 other firefighters, and at times on the way there I was wondering what I was doing it for. On the way home, though, I knew I would be willing to travel twice as far in worse conditions to experience again the pride and sense of belonging that I felt during that parade.
You’ve probably already heard the news. Last Thursday, December 29th, Daniel Botkin, a volunteer firefighter with the Enderby Fire Department was killed while fighting a fire at a log home construction business. They were in the mop-up phase and were just about to remove their hoses from the scene when an explosion took place in a storage container. Botkin was killed and another firefighter was injured in the explosion.
Hornby Island Fire Rescue is deeply saddened by Botkin’s death and holds his new wife, family, and the Enderby Fire Department close in our thoughts and prayers. Two of our members will be attending the service in Enderby on Thursday.
Firefighters are conditioned to reach for the water as soon as they arrive on scene. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Put water on the fire and it goes away. 5 of us went to a course last weekend where the instructor made a pretty convincing case that the ventilation fan should be the first thing off of the truck. The Comox Valley Chiefs Association brought in the guru of a technique that is quickly taking hold called “positive pressure attack”. Kriss Garcia has been championing, honing, and researching PPA for over 20 years now.
The idea goes like this. Fire is predictable and can be extinguished. Smoke, on the other hand, will obscure any visibility, will kill occupants, and can explode if conditions are right. If you can create an exhaust hole, and turn on a large fan at the front door you can clear the smoke and reduce the temperature in the building in just a few seconds. Firefighters can then enter a building and search for occupants and the fire by walking through the building instead of crawling.
Kriss has disproven many myths put forward by people wary of PPA. He has shown that blowing the smoke and heat through the building will not advance the fire. Firefighters that are caught between the fire and the exhaust hole feel no increase in heat. Positive pressure will not blow fire into electrical outlets or holes in the wall.
We’re very excited to try out this new technique in our upcoming practices. Its not everyday that you learn something that turns a whole industry’s methodology on its head.
LaRose took a pickup truck load of helmets, bunker gear, hoses, old breathing apparatus, and some machinery to Vancouver Island where it was picked up by a FFWB rep for their upcoming operations.
