Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe says an anecdote from the Gibsons and District Volunteer Fire Department’s quarterly report points to the need to keep pushing on one of the council’s top priorities.
Chief Rob Michael’s report said one of the members the department recruited last year has stepped down because she couldn’t find suitable accommodation in Gibsons and had to move elsewhere on the Coast.
“That’s one of the reasons why this council is very much focused on creating housing units in the Town of Gibsons,” Rowe said. “If they can’t find places to live, we don’t have those people to serve our community.”
The report said there are now 42 active volunteers in the department, and they’re planning another recruitment drive in the fall. The department is also looking for a new prevention officer.
Other highlights in the report include a drop in call volume compared to the first quarter of 2017. There were 47 calls for service in the first quarter of 2018, compared to 54 in 2017.
Notable calls included rescuing a person trapped when a shed collapsed and rescuing someone trapped in an elevator.
Michael also said firefighters are continuing their training on the new ladder truck which was delivered on Jan. 24.
