PERIOD REPORT
DATE: September 01, 2019 Report No. FIRE-19-003
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Chris Jancowski, Fire Chief
SUBJECT:TITLE Fire Department - 2019 Second Period Report Body
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Fire Department from May 01, 2019 to August 31, 2019.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Operations Division
|
Call Type and Volume |
Routine Activities |
|
Alarm calls |
42 |
Assist other agencies |
0 |
|
Assist public |
15 |
Bylaw inquiries |
2 |
|
Burning complaints |
9 |
General inquiries |
0 |
|
Hazardous materials |
7 |
Oil tank inspections |
11 |
|
Structure fires |
8 |
Placed on standby (C.S.R., Fire) |
3 |
|
Other fires |
8 |
Plan review |
4 |
|
Other responses |
16 |
Public ed. I hall tour |
2 |
|
Medical aid |
202 |
Fire investigations |
1 |
|
MVI |
21 |
Business licenses |
26 |
|
Rescue |
1 |
Car seat inspection |
1 |
|
Electrical emergency |
5 |
Assist public |
4 |
|
Total Period |
334 |
Total Period |
54 |
|
Responses YTD |
715 |
Activities YTD |
194 |
• Noteworthy Emergency Responses
July 05, 2019
Esquimalt Fire Department responded to a report of a residential structure fire in the 1100 block of Craigflower Road. En route, the call was updated to a second alarm due to the amount of smoke visible from a kilometre away. This combined with the quick actions of all members, limited the fire damage to the rear deck and attic space of the residence.
July 23, 2019
Esquimalt Fire Department provided assistance to the Canadian Forces Base Fire Department for an interface fire. This fire originated from the Public Works graving docks to the Galloping Goose trail. The fire was quickly contained and CFB Esquimalt Fire Department members remained on scene for several hours to clean the area. While assisting CFB, we were supported by the View Royal Fire Department in providing coverage to the Township.
2. Community Services - Prevention Activities
As part of the 2019 planning process, public education was identified as a key focus. The Department was pleased to provide four Car Seat Installation workshops over the summer. These events were advertised with the assistance of the Township Communications Specialist. Each event was hosted at the Township’s waterpark and was well received by the public. These events provide critical information to adults on the correct installation of car seats in the hope of preventing injuries to children while riding in vehicles. Members of “D” Platoon lead these events and the Esquimalt Lions supplied food and refreshments.
During this period, additional public engagement opportunities occurred including:
• Esquimalt neighborhood block party
• Drake Ave block party
• Tim Hortons Camp Day
• McHappy Day
• Esquimalt Farmers’ Market
In July, the Department kicked off the first year of a door to door single family residential smoke alarm campaign. This program targets a specific area of the Township, creating awareness and highlighting the importance of a working smoke alarm. As part of the program, our members will offer to check the operation of the occupant’s detector and replace the batteries or detectors if found to be not operational. Early results from residents indicate that 95% of alarms checked are in working condition. Most notable is that 44% of the homes checked did not have a working carbon monoxide alarm. Improvements for next year’s program will include the increase of resources to ensure more carbon monoxide detectors are available in addition to smoke alarms.
The following table below outlines the Company Level Inspection activities during 2019.
|
2019 Company Inspections |
|
Platoon |
Total Premises |
Inspections Completed |
Inspections to be Completed |
|
A |
148 |
126 |
22 |
|
B |
121 |
82 |
39 |
|
C |
131 |
92 |
39 |
|
D |
128 |
83 |
45 |
The table below illustrates the total pre-incident plans completed in the first quarter of 2019. These plans are used to quickly access and control building utilities to reduce property loss or quickly locate and access people in medical distress.
|
Pre-Incident Building Surveys |
|
Building Classification |
Total Premises |
Plans Completed |
Plans to be Completed |
|
A (eg. Assembly) |
76 |
29 |
47 |
|
B (eg. Care Facilities) |
5 |
3 |
2 |
|
C (eg. Multi-Residential Buildings) |
168 |
161 |
7 |
|
D (eg. Business) |
103 |
34 |
69 |
|
E (eg. Mercantile) |
45 |
20 |
25 |
|
F (eg. Industrial Buildings) |
115 |
88 |
27 |
3. Department Services
In May, the Department updated our fire ground staging boards. These boards are a tool to track firefighters that have been assigned to fire ground tasks on medium to large scale events.
In May and June, all platoons participated in a ROCO confined space workshop. These workshops focused on learning the process of “Lock out/Tag out” of energized equipment prior to conducting rescue operations. In addition, firefighters completed a confined space skills refresh.
In July, several joint radio and command training sessions were held with CFB Esquimalt and Esquimalt Fire Department officers. The goal of these sessions was to ensure common Incident Command procedures and radio protocols prior to going live with the new CREST P 25 radio system.
4. Administrative Services
In May, the Department saw the departure of Assistance Chief Steve Serbic.
I can’t express enough how much Steve’s commitment and leadership changed our Department over the last four years. Steve was instrumental in programs such as; being the first fire department to deliver nasal naloxone, structural collapse program, crowd management program and mental health programs and initiatives. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
On August 13th, Esquimalt Fire Department was the first fire department in the region to cut over to the new P25 radio system. The transition was seamless and was greatly supported by onsite CREST and Surrey Radio Engineer staff. Fire department members conducted field testing in several historically bad radio reception areas and have reported improved radio quality.
Several other departments in the region such as CFB Esquimalt and Saanich have also cut over to the new P25 System. As part of the planning and transition process, our radios will maintain several channels to communicate with neighbouring agencies such as Victoria and View Royal until they also transition to the new system.
The Department has initiated discussions with the Victoria Police Department on how to co-respond to active shooter and hostile events. Future discussions will lead to standardized equipment, procedures and tactics to provide a safe and effective response.
In August, we saw the departure of our Administrative Assistant, who over the last few years has played a critical role as part of the administrative team and we wish her all the best in her new career path.
II. COMMITTEES
Esquimalt Fire Department members are actively involved with numerous local and regional initiatives including:
• Greater Victoria Fire Chiefs’ Association
• British Columbia Fire Chiefs’ Association
• CRD Regional Hazardous Materials Response Planning Committee
• Greater Victoria Fire Training Officers’ Association
• Fire Training Officers’ Association of BC
• Fire Prevention Officers’ Association of BC
• Greater Victoria Fire Prevention Officers’ Association
• Department Safety Committee
• BC Burn Fund