Hornby Island Fire Rescue

Tonight we were called to an accident where a worker fell off of a three storey house while working on the roof. Our crew of seven did a magnificent job of packaging him on a spine board while stabilizing some other injuries and getting him out to our ambulance. Another HIFR member secured the airstrip and prepared for the incoming helicopter.

When the call came in, BC Ambulance launched their helicopter from Vancouver and we met them at the airstrip and transferred him to their extremely capable hands. He was stable and alert upon handover and under better circumstances would have enjoyed his exciting helicopter ride to Victoria.

We are pleased to announce that Tor Nawrot has been hired by the Comox Valley RegionalDistrict as the Pre-Construction Coordinator for the fire hall renewal project. Tor, a resident of Hornby Island, will begin a unique community consultation process by hosting neighbourhood meetings in local homes to hear what Islanders are thinking about the new fire hall, answer questions and start a community dialogue on what we want to see in the new building.

Tor recently met with the local members of the Firehall Renewal Select Committee responsible for the firehall project. They are Fire Chief Giff La Rose, Jim Garton, Tony Quin and Andrew Carmichael. The series of initial neighbourhood meetings will start in late July so watch for a flyer advertising for your area.

The Ministry of Forests has closed all open burning as of noon , Monday, June 24 until October 15. Open burning is the burning of yard cleanup, brush piles, scrap wood and includes burn barrels. This does not apply to campfires. Safe campfires are still allowed and we ask everyone to exercise care when lighting a campfire and remember that campfires are to be small: less than 18″ or 450mm across and are for enjoyment, cooking or ceremonies. Please call the Fire Patrol pager at 250-703-9022 with any questions or concerns regarding fires. In an emergency remember to call 911

The sirens and helicopter that you may have heard today had to do with a serious medical incident. HIFR, Dr John Chapman, Nurse Maggie Ellis, and BC Air Ambulance came together to stabilize and fly a local resident off island to Royal Jubilee Hospital for advanced medical care.

The incident went off flawlessly and our patient was entertaining the flight crew with his jokes as we drove off. Thanks for the great work to everyone involved.

Today Duncan wrapped up the final day of our 2 hour fire extinguisher training series which saw 22 islanders take part in the workshops. The participants had a short classroom session then went outside to our burn tray where they used their freshly learned theory on live fires.

HIFR would like to thank the Hornby Island Coop for their participation in this valuable training series. Thanks,also, to Duncan MacCaskill for the huge amount of personal time he put into organizing and leading the sessions.

If you would like to take part in the next session, the date of which is yet to be determined, leave a comment on this page, call the fire hall at 335-2611, or talk to Duncan at the Coop service desk.

Cadet camp returns this year and will take place on Wednesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 28. Youth between the ages of ten and 14 are welcome to take part in a fun filled two days of cutting apart cars, discharging hose lines, learning first aid skills, discovering ways to escape a burning house, and putting out real fires with fire extinguishers.

Running from 10:30-3:30, the program has something different each day. The cadets and their families are invited to the firehall on the Thursday evening for a dessert potluck where the cadets can show off their new skills and take part in the award ceremony.

The cost is free and we serve lunch for both days. For more information and to register, check out www.hifd.org, call the fire hall at 250.335.2611, or register online. Pre-registration is essential for us to know how many lunches to prepare and because we have to limit the size to a maximum of 20 participants.

The Comox Valley Regional District has established a website at www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/hornbyislandfirehall as the primary source of information for the new fire hall project. The site provides background information with all the reports.

Hornby Island Fire Rescue is shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic shootings of fire fighters in New York State. The fire fighters were gunned down while responding to a structure fire, which turned out to be a trap.

The dead fire fighters were identified as:

• Lt. Michael Chiapperini, of Webster police and West Webster Fire Department
• Tomasz Kaczowka, a volunteer with the fire department

The injured fire fighters in intensive care were named as:

• Joseph Hofsetter
• Theodore Scardino

Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families and our fellow fire fighters in the affected departments.

Here is a timely message from the Fire Chiefs Association of BC:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/hrg6W55PEu8

Some residents may have heard and felt a large explosion on Saturday night. Shortly after the explosion we responded to a call for flames showing on Seawright Road which turned out to be a large burn pile. The two events were unrelated, though.

As it turned out a local had alerted the military to the presence of a Military Location Marker on the beach. Very shortly after being alerted, 19 Wing of CFB Comox come over in their boat to pick it up. Apparently, they took it off the coast of Flora Island and exploded it.

If you felt the shaking and heard the boom you now have an idea of what those things can do. If you come across one, do not pick it up. Call 911 or 19 Wing at 1.866.488.0889.