For many years now the Comox fire station has been open on Halloween evening for citizens to visit. This year was no different with approximately four hundred people dropping by to enjoy the free hotdogs and hot chocolate the firefighters were giving away. In addition to this two of Comox fire engines were out on the streets, meeting and greeting children and parents.
Comox Fire Chief Gord Schreiner states: “Our firefighters love this event. It gives us another opportunity to meet some of our citizens and also to promote fire safety. Not only did we give away a lot of hotdogs but we also gave away a few smoke alarms and reminded some of the parents the need to have a working smoke alarm. We have an amazing group of firefighters here with about twenty of them donating their time this evening. Also when our fire engines are staffed and out and about our response time is quicker should anyone need us.”
During the evening the fire station is set up with tables and chairs so children and their parents can come in get warmed up and have a rest if needed.
This week on Meet our Members, we interview Colin Hanes!
CFR: Could you provide a brief background of your fire service career?
All I wanted to do was drop off a Christmas tree! Almost 4 years ago I brought my Christmas tree to the hall to get chipped, after a brief tour of the hall and chat with Capt. Stevens I walked home with an application and thought in 8 months maybe I'll get a call to come out. A week later I had an interview with the Chiefs, 2 weeks later I was at my first practice, a year and a half later I passed my NFPA and got my black helmet. Since then its been none stop training, learning, and giving back to the community.
CFR: Was there any specific event that first interested you in becoming a fire fighter?
Nothing specific, but deep down I'm still a kid at heart and love playing with toys...and we've got some big toys to play with! At the same time, when I moved to Comox I wanted to join a group or organization to volunteer my time with. After checking out the coast guard and search and rescue, I found my home with Comox Fire.
CFR: What is your favorite part of volunteering for Comox Fire Rescue (or working in the valley in general)?
Great team, great facility, and a great community I'm proud to donate my time and effort to. As a relative newcomer in the Comox Valley, the team at Comox Fire Rescue have become my extended family!
CFR: Outside of the fire department, what are your interests/hobbies?
Professional - Real Estate. As a REALTOR (www.ColinHanes.ca), selling homes in the Comox Valley is a dream...where else would you want to live! Personal - Snowboarding, hiking, squash, ultimate frisbee, spending time with my wife and twin girls.
CFR: What are some major changes you have seen in the fire service industry during your career?
In my short career, the advancements in technology have been amazing. From the addition of iPads and paperless forms in the hall to the use of apps like Active911.
CFR: If you could change one thing about the fire service, what would it be?
Speed of response. While our response time is still quite good, I think that time impacts everything we do and the longer it takes to get to the scene the greater the risks to everyone involved. Whether responding to a car accident, medical emergency, or a fire call, if we can improve response time we can improve our chances of a positive outcome. And this is more of a constant evolution then a change which we're seeing with improved technology through apps like Active911, and I'm sure we'll see in the future with advance smoke alarms in homes.
Thank you, Colin, for your dedication and enthusiasm!
Comox Fire Rescue is integrating scan-able QR codes into their regular apparatus maintenance procedures. Each vehicle in the department has regular inspections of every piece of equipment on the truck, from the set of screwdrivers to the hydraulic ladder rack on their newest engine. Traditionally, these inspections were done with pen and paper and filed away. As you can imagine, the boxes of paper build up fast!
Under the new system, each compartment has a QR code that can be scanned with the vehicle's iPad to bring up a checklist-style inventory sheet. Once the checklist is complete, the information is stored in a cloud-based database for easy referencing. This information can also have statistics drawn from it to find trends such as equipment durability and frequency of use.
Chief Schreiner states: "We are constantly looking for innovative ideas to make us more efficient without increasing our operating costs. This is just one of many low cost innovations we have added to our department"
Comox Rescue's newest vehicle is dedicated to Capt Stewart Rennie. And as luck would have it, just as the Ceremony was about to begin, the pagers went, and off went half of the Department.
Comox Fire Rescue manages two different Firefighter Youth Programs (Firefighter Youth Camp and Firefighter Youth Semester Program). The Youth Semester Program is run twice each year for Comox Valley high school students. The goal of this camp is to provide significant learning and life experience and provide skills and attitudes that can be applied now and later in life.
Chief Schreiner states: “We are so pleased to have the opportunity to work closely with many of the great youths in our community. These programs require a huge commitment by our outstanding group of firefighters. Without their assistance this would not be possible. We are also very fortunate to have great community support from many local businesses.”
Last night kicked off the first evening with 19 students from 3 local high schools attending.
