Prevention, Emergency Response, and the Comox Fire Training Centre
Comox Fire Rescue provides a variety of preventive and emergency services to a population of over 18,000 in an area of 16 square miles. This includes the Town of Comox, the Comox Fire Protection Improvement District, the Bates Huband Local Service Area (Regional District of Comox-Strathcona), and the Comox Indian Band. They also operate the Comox Fire Training Centre, which trains firefighters from all over Vancouver Island, and even parts of BC and the rest of Canada. The training centre is certified by the JIBC.
Last Tuesday's practice was a unique opportunity for both Comox and Cumberland firefighters: A truck from each department was sent with a crew to visit the other department for a night of training outside of their usual comfort zone. Comox firefighters visited Cumberland to brush up on their auto extrication skills while a Cumberland crew came to Comox for START (Survival Training and Rescue Techniques) training. It was a great experience for everyone involved!
This week on Meet our Members, we interview Pascal Lafreniere!
Pascal Lafreniere receiving his Lieutenant shoulder flashes.
CFR: Could you provide a brief background of your fire service career?
I've been with Comox Fire Rescue for 7 years now. Previous to that I had no fire service experience. I was promoted to Lieutenant in 2014 and am currently finishing up my Fire Officer lv. 1 course.
CFR: Was there any specific event that first interested you in becoming a fire fighter?
Nothing in particular, but firefighting checked all the boxes of my ideal career!
CFR: What is your favourite part of volunteering for Comox Fire Rescue (or working in the valley in general)?
My favourite part of volunteering at CFR is the amount of opportunites given to us to grow and learn as firefighters and the opportunity to share knowledge and experience with other firefighters.
CFR: Outside of the fire department, what are your interests/hobbies?
I enjoy spending time outdoors, usually doing activites such as mountain biking, snowboarding (when there's actually snow on Mt. Washington), quadding in the back-country, and generally exploring Vancouver Island.
CFR: What are some major changes you have seen in the fire service industry during your career?
The amount of options for aquiring training. You can get textbooks, ebooks, online training... The amount of ways to get training has significantly increased since I started.
Thank you, Pascal, for your years of dedication and leadership especially in your new role training recruits!
An inside joke.
From Comox Valley Record, July 22nd, 2015
"Although the temperatures may be dropping slightly, the Comox Fire Department is warning the public to remain diligent, as their crew battled two brush fires this past weekend.
Fire chief Gord Schreiner said around 5:30 p.m., the department received a report of a brush fire on Southwind Road.
"The fire started as a result of monster truck activity in a nearby farmers field. It was allowed, but it was started either from the heat (generated from the vehicle) or because of mechanical problems."
The fire grew to between four to five acres. Three trucks from the station were used to contain and extinguish the fire, along with pumper trucks from Courtenay and Oyster River Fire Departments, as the area does not have access to hydrants, added Schreiner.
Crews battled the fire for about three hours, which came very close to homes.
"One family had garden hoses out on their front lawn," he explained. "We were very happy afterwards - no structures were affected."
On Sunday, a small fire started near the Little River Nature Park, which Schreiner said began near a homeless encampment/log structure. It was considered "fairly minor" but he added both were preventable fires.
While he said it appears the message is getting out about not disposing cigarette butts outside in the extremely dry conditions, Schreiner warns the public should not let their guard down despite the "soft days" of light rain or cooler temperatures.
As of Monday, there were 159 active wildfire across the province, with three states of local emergency due to wildfire and seven evacuation alerts or order currently in effect."
The Comox Fire Department used over 1300' of hose to soak down the burnt field and the brush around the nearby houses.
From the Comox Valley Record, posted July 15th, 2015
This photo shows the proximity of the fire to one of the homes the Comox Fire Department crew was called on to protect.
— Image Credit: Photo Submitted
"As one of 12 structural protection specialists in the province, Gord Schreiner’s phone has been busy.
As the fire chief of the Comox Fire Department, Schreiner, along with six other firefighters from the department, recently returned from the Dog Mountain fire on Sproat Lake near Port Alberni.
“The biggest challenge (to fighting the fire) is not knowing when you’re coming back. Sometimes you get an hour to pack your bags, and you have to expect to be gone for up to 14 days,” he explained.
The Comox firefighters were tasked for about a week to lend their skills to fight the aggressive forest fire, in which they were able to protect and save many structures, some even with flames within feet of the building.
“There’s 21 structures on the peninsula, and the only access is by water. We deployed our structural protection trailer which we developed 10 years ago. Between forestry, ourselves and the helicopters (dropping water), we all played an equal role in saving the structures and keeping the area wet.”
The fire - which is believed to be human caused - grew to more than 400 hectares, but is now 100 per cent contained.
Schreiner said his firefighters practise with the trailer between 10 and 20 times a year and credits their knowledge and skills to being one of the main keys to knowing what to do when they arrived in the area.
“You’re literally put to work within minutes of hitting the ground,” he added, and noted the specialized protection trailer owned by the Town of Comox was one of the first on the Island.
“You never know what you’re getting into. It was a water-only access, with very steep terrain and a ton of stairs.”
Schreiner said the fire started on the top of the mountain, and came down on the cabin-side.
Fire generally doesn’t burn downhill, he added, but it worked its way down to the lake.
In total, the fire department used more than 5,000 feet of hose and about 60 sprinklers. The team had to keep everything wet - from decks to homes and even the wharfs where their pumps sat to prevent them from catching on fire.
Working 12-hour days, the seven-member crew returned Friday, and Schreiner said he has already received calls this past weekend for assistance in Prince George and Williams Lake.
He notes he expects more calls over the summer. There are 20 to 40 protection trailers in the province, with many located in the Lower Mainland."
Here are a few of our photos from our work at Sproat Lake:
Effective at noon on Saturday, June 27th there will be a campfire ban in effect for many parts of the province, including the part of Vancouver Island that falls within the Comox Fire jurisdiction.
All Beach Fire permits in our Fire Protection District will be cancelled at this time, as well as camping fires.
Goose spit Regional Park beach fires will be left to Regional District to regulate.
For more information, click here for a statement from the Ministry of Forests.
