Fire department service levels
The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is moving to catch up with provincial legislation by formally establishing service levels for the four fire departments under its jurisdiction.
The province sets out three service levels: exterior operations, interior operations and full service.
Retired Sechelt fire chief Bill Higgs has been working with SCRD officials to draft service level policies for the Egmont, Halfmoon Bay, Roberts Creek and Gibsons departments.
The recommendations were presented at the July 14 community services committee meeting. If adopted by the board, the new policies would set Egmont as an exterior operations department. The Halfmoon Bay and Roberts Creek FDs would be interior operations and Gibsons would be considered full service.
Higgs told the committee full service is a typical level for communities the size of Sechelt or Gibsons.
“What that means, in a nutshell, is that the fire department will provide a full range of services … we’d do interior operations, hazardous material response, confined space rescue, and train to levels where there’s nothing we couldn’t do on a fire ground,” Higgs explained.
Exterior and interior operations service levels are common for smaller volunteer departments. Higgs said exterior service level means firefighters can tackle a burning building from the outside to try to douse the flames and keep the fire from spreading. Firefighters trained to an interior service level can enter the building and tackle a blaze from inside.
The service levels are considered minimums, and departments can train their members for higher service levels. Higgs said right now the four departments are all training to the recommended levels.
MP hears about derelicts
SCRD Pender Harbour director Frank Mauro told the July 14 board meeting that he had an opportunity during the recent Pender Harbour Days celebration to give MP Pam Goldsmith-Jones a tour and discuss issues around derelict vessels.
“Derelict structures and illegal anchoring are big problems up and down the Coast, and seem to be growing exponentially,” he said. “She was very interested. There is legislation coming. Transport Canada still has some rules that they are able to enforce and hopefully they’ll continue to do so, or maybe do so more vigorously.”
Mauro also told his fellow directors that one problem structure in the area appears to have been moved, after RCMP got involved.
“It is a big problem, and it’s growing,” Mauro said.
Ferry passes for youth teams
SCRD chair and Halfmoon Bay director Garry Nohr wants to make sure BC Ferries gets credit where credit is due.
During the presentation of the quarterly report from the manager and program coordinator of the SCRD’s recreation department on July 14, Nohr noted the success of a program giving youth sports teams free passage on the Langdale to Horseshoe Bay route.
The program was introduced in January of 2015, and it’s administered by the SCRD. (School District No. 46 looks after a similar program for school sports teams and other school travel.)
“I don’t think we’ve sent a nice letter to BC Ferries,” Nohr joked. “I’m used to sending other [kinds of letters]. It’d be nice to send them one … $300,000 dollars for youth on the Sunshine Coast should be respected.”
CAO Janette Loveys said staff will ensure a letter is drafted in the coming weeks.
