Comments on the Paid on Call Poll

Wow, didn't expect such a response so quickly. I really appreciate the 2 comments received so far and would certainly like to see more on the subject. Just to clarify, there are no plans to implement any new procedures. At this time, this is simply a poll to see how the membership feels about the idea. Once I receive the information I would like to form a committee to investigate what other departments do, different methods of paid on call or perhaps more incentives such as a fuel allowance or ??????????????? This is wide open right now, so please don't assume anything. My hope is to have a plan in place for the end of 2010. This gives us a year to work something out and provide council time to consider the options and if required, a chance to look at possible increases to the budget. So, keep the comments coming as these will prove very valuable to the new committee. (I will post a sign up list next week for anyone interested) With that, Happy New Year to all of you and your families.

Paid on Call Poll

You will notice a new poll at the top of the page. There has been some discussion on going to "Paid on Call" status as do most other volunteer fire departments in the country. This would mean that each firefighter would be paid an hourly wage for each call they showed up for. As we would soon bankrupt the district if 40 firefighters showed up for every first response call, this would likely mean some form of duty shift. Please answer the poll with either No - keep the current system we have now or Yes I support going paid on call idea. If you answer yes, answer one of the questions underneath with what you would expect to be paid. I should also add that if we go paid on call, many of the perks you now receive would be eliminated. This could include the annual $30,000.00 honorarium paid to the Association and the off duty insurance coverage. Some of the uniform budget, annual banquet and other costs currently funded by the District may also be reduced or eliminated. Just things to consider.

A Year in Review

Well, as the year comes to a close, it's time to look back and remember all of the accomplishments the fire department achieved. This was definitely a year of progress and opportunities. Never mind that we have attended more emergency calls than any other year in the departments history, but we completed many other projects as well. Where do I start. OK, in my opinion, the most amazing item of the year may have been the collection for the food bank and the generous support of the community. We were completely overwhelmed with donations. It was quite an amazing sight and truly reflects how everyone can pull together in a time of need. On to other highlights of the year. We managed to hire another firefighter this year and was very pleased in having Rick McLeod accept the job. Looks like two more positions in 2010. We are definitely moving forward. After many years of trying and thanks to a downward slide in the economy, we were finally able to replace the front apron at Station 1. This one was constructed properly and should last for many years. We even managed to add extra parking along Otter Point Rd and with the fire hall site, all in the same budget. A successful recruiting campaign in Sun River not only saw an increase in applicants from this area, but appears to have sparked an interest in building a satellite fire station in the area. Welcome aboard to our new members as ten new recruits passed their basic training. A successful pub ed campaign had the graphics completed on the pub ed trailer. This rolling billboard certainly advertises the fire department in a positive manner. With the funds raised, we were even able to order two more inflatables for the pub ed division. The fire department began the take over and helped establish a new ESS (Emergency Social Services) program, with about 20 new members joining the group. With the pending retirement of our Emergency Coordinator in early 2010, it appears the fire department will be taking over the entire EOC division. We managed to a acquire several new items in our inventory. The first was an old ambulance for use as a First Responder vehicle. While the unit has worked very well, it seems to have a magnetic personality as it is attracted to other objects and has already been in three accidents. Two new sets of Jaws of Life were obtained, replacing the older 20 and 25 year old sets. To date, they have been used twice on emergency calls. Instant snow chains were added to both front line pumper trucks with the rescue trucks to be equipped in 2010. Hopefully this well make responses in snow conditions safer for everyone. Not that we can take all the credit, but the assistance of fire department members at the Subaru Triathlon was certainly one of the reasons that the Ironman Competition is coming to Sooke in 2011. The volunteer support of this community always seems to shine through. Oh, and who can forget the Olympic Torch starting in front of the fire hall on its cross Canada journey. And finally, an amazing day was held when we celebrated Bill Stephenson and his 60 years of service as a volunteer firefighter. Now that was a party. While I am sure that there are many more items to add to this list, all in all, it was a good year and I look forward to working with all of you in 2010. Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas

You may all be wondering why I am here on Christmas working on a Blog. Turns out that my wife needs to vacuum the house before the relatives arrive and this can't be done while somebody anybody else is there. And you thought I was odd! So, here I am. So I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas and that everyone got the gifts they wanted. All the gifts you purchased for the Chief can be dropped off anytime.

On to another topic, I want to thank all those firefighters that responded to the Haz Mat Incident the other day. Even though it turned out to be a false alarm, all the preparation and protocols to be followed to deal with a potential clan lab were quite remarkable. If nothing else, it was a great exercise to prepare us for any similar incident that may arise in the future. The working relationship between all of the responding agencies was extrodinary as everyone worked to together so well, you would think we had been doing this as a group for years. We even had an offer from the head of RCMP Clan Lab Response Team offer to come back to the Island and do a seminar for emergency responders on dealing with these types of incidents. More information will follow as soon as it comes available.

So once again, Merry Christmas to all.

Sprinkler Systems

Rumours - It appears the old addage "If you haven't heard a rumour by 10:00 am, start one" is true as is the case of sprinkler systems. The rumour going around the community is that the fire department has introduced a bylaw requiring sprinkler systems in all single family dwellings and duplexs. Let me clarify by saying that this is not true. While I am a huge supporter of residential sprinkler systems, I have not proposeed any such requirement. I believe the misconception comes from the new OCP (Official Community Plan) that states that all buildings within the new "TOWN CENTRE" zoning require a sprinkler system be installed. This part is true, however if you were to read the Town Centre Plan http://www.sooke.ca/assets/Local~Government/Planning/Town%20Centre%20Plan%20Adopted.pdf, you would find that the only buildings permitted in this zone are large, multi-family or commercial buildings. Most will have zero lot line coverage which means that they can be built right next to each other. If a fire were to start in one of these new buildings and spread to another, the potential for a catastrophic fire is a real possibility. Single Family Homes and Duplexs are NOT PERMITTED in this zone. (This zone covers roughly from the new Mariners Development at Church Rd to Murray Rd and along the length of Sooke Rd down to the water - yes, only the water side of Sooke Rd) This is the only area that this zone applies. The requirement is NOT retroactive either. If you already own a home in this area or plan to put on an addition, the sprinkler requirement does not apply. The only time this well be put into effect is when someone comes in with a proposal to redevelop land to suit the new Town Centre Plan. The only other time we SUGGEST sprinkler systems is when a development proposal is made in an area where the existing water system is insufficient for the size of the building being proposed. So, if you hear this rumour while you are out and about, please take a moment to clarify the points. Thanks.

Santa Run Huge Success

Well thanks to everyone that participated, this years Santa Run was the biggest and best ever. What a incredible outpouring of community support as Sooke Firefighters collected an enourmous amount of food for the Sooke Christmas Bureau and Food Bank. It took the combined capacity of both Shane and Chris' trailers as well as an additional half pick up load to get all the groceries and toys to the Community Hall. An additional $757.00 in cash and cheques was also turned in. It was quite a sight to see all of the food piled up in the basement of the Community Hall. Turns out the bags we had inserted into the Sooke Mirror certainly helped to put people into the giving spirit. A total of 440 of the special marked grocery bags were returned with food. This does not include those turned into the East Sooke FD and another (approx 100) bags that Otter Point collected on their run. Due to this success we may have to revamp next year to accomodate the growth. Two choices come to mind, either we add a fourth truck and route or we will have to start earlier, perhaps 4:00 or 4:30. There is not the space here to thank everyone involved but I must mention Western Foods who paid for the bags ( $650.00)and the Sooke and Otter Point Firefighters Association for splitting the $650.00 printing cost and the District of Sooke for the cost of inserting the bags in the Mirror ($250.00) {Yes, it is expensive to be charitable} Hopefully more sponsors will come on board next year. East Sooke FD is already interested in having their route placed on the bag too! Again, I must thank everyone from the decorators of the trucks, to the elves that helped collect the food, to those that came out to deliver the food and finally those that came back on Sunday to dismantle 204. A special thank you to Santa 1, 2 and 3 for putting up with the lovely weather. Your community spirit was noticed by many. An outstanding job.

Pump Operator Training

Several of you began the pump training course earlier this fall and as you are aware, we have had some difficulties in finding time to finish the course. As such, I will be holding a one day refresher course on Saturday, Jan 9 at Station 1 beginning at 9:30. For those of you that we feel are ready, a practical exam will be held the following Saturday the 16th. If you are not ready, you can use this date for an additional training day. A sign up sheet will be posted for this as well.