Arjuna George

There have been drastic and substantial changes in our Fire Department since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic. We had taken what was viewed at the time as extraordinary measures to be proactive in protecting the health and safety of our membership and community at large. We closed our offices to the public and prohibited all non-essential member traffic to our fire halls. We cancelled all face-to-face group training and meetings, which have since moved online with great success. Staff began multiple daily decontamination protocols of our halls and apparatus. Listing all the measures here is too lengthy for this letter. Suffice it to say, we were a month ahead of recommended government guidelines. By taking measures so early on, we have been able to keep our membership completely healthy and able to respond 24/7. We responded to a structure fire on March 27th in the early hours of the morning and the house was saved. We want you to know that we are here for you, we are heal…

Good day, I am writing to you today to give you an update on what has changed in the Fire Department since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic. We had taken what was viewed at the time as extraordinary measures to be proactive in protecting the health and safety of our membership and community at large. We closed our offices to the public and prohibited all non-essential member traffic to our fire halls. We cancelled all face-to-face group training and meetings, which have since moved online with great success. Staff began multiple daily decontamination protocols of our halls and apparatus. Listing all the measures here is too lengthy for this letter. Suffice it to say, we were a month ahead of recommended government guidelines. By taking measures so early on, we have been able to keep our membership completely healthy and able to respond 24/7. We had responded to a structure fire on March 27th in the early hours of the morning and the house was saved. We want you to know …

Response Report: Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 62 calls for the month of January. Operations The emergency generator project is now complete, and all three fire halls are now equipped with small portable generators for emergency backup. One last detail is the construction of outdoor housing structures for them. These new units will be critical to operating emergencies during mass power outages. The project came in under-budget. The process to replace the Engine from Fire Hall 2 has been initiated. The specifications for the engine and a request for proposal are currently being created by staff. The repurposing of Mini Pumper 1 is complete, with the fire pump and plumbing successfully removed. The apparatus still has the capability to pump water for brush fires, but the overall weight has drastically been reduced. The unit now houses all our technical rescue equipment for rope rescue, hazardous materials, confined space, water and ice rescu…

Vision; A responsive and sustainable fire-rescue service, effectively meeting community needs and valued by those we serve. Mission; Always learning, engaging and adapting to be response ready. Response Report Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 44 calls for the month of December. SSIFR finished off the year with 655 calls. Operations December 27th Firefighters responded to a kitchen fire on Richard Flack Road. Before Firefighters arrived on scene RCMP made a quick rescue and stopped the fire spread with a fire extinguisher. The RCMP Constable’s swift action saved the sole occupants life. The Fire was extinguished, and one male occupant taken to Hospital with minor injuries. On behalf of the organization I would like to recognize Constable Hastie for his quick actions. December, Roof repair work was undertaken by an Asbestos remediation company, as one of the steps towards fixing the Hall 1 roof. Following the Asbestos work, an engineer inspe…

Vision A responsive and sustainable fire-rescue service, effectively meeting community needs and valued by those we serve. Mission Always learning, engaging and adapting to be response ready. Response Report Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 54 calls for assistance in November. Operations As part of our ongoing community education and outreach SSIFR hosted the 1st series of Salt Spring Island Emergency Resiliency Training (SSERT) for the community organized by the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program.  The first session was a great success with over 20 community members partaking in four nights of resiliency training.  The skills they learned will help them and our community be better prepared for emergencies.  The next series of SSERT will be held in December and registration is already full.  With the success and interest from the community there will be future SSERT classes offered thanks to the support of the Salt Spring Island Em…

Response Report: Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 32 calls for the month of October. Operations As part of our ongoing community education and outreach SSIFR is hosting the 1st series of Resiliency training for the community organized by the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program. The first block consists of four three-hour training sessions covering several key areas that will help our community be more resilient during emergencies. Registration is full for the 1st and 2nd series but there are plans to continue this community education program with the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program. Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue conducted our annual hose testing with over 25,000 feet of fire hose tested. Thanks to the testing we were able to find several hose lengths that were in need of replacing and failed the test. The C.R.E.S.T. roll out of the P25 digital radio system is only months away. Our department will be outfitted with new Motorola radios thr…

Response Report: Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 66 calls the month of September. Operations Our wildfire season has come to an end with far fewer fires on Salt Spring and throughout BC compared to 2017 and 2018. Below is an overview of the burning prohibitions over the past three years. Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue follows the BC burning restrictions. This summer we worked with the Salt Spring Exchange and launched a daily Fire Danger Rating public notice that was well received with 751,006 views this summer. With the new changes to the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulations (OBSCR) there has been a change in how the air quality “Venting” is reported. There is now 1 Day venting that displays in blue, as where the 2 day more stringent venting is displayed in a light green. Map locations that are in red are areas with poor no venting. With the new update of the OBSCR Venting is now required for all burning where the material is gre…

Response Report: Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 58 calls the month of August. Operations The Ganges Fire Hall suffered two roof leaks over the month with the light summer rain. To rectify this issue before winter arrives a roofer and an engineer are needed. Work has been undertaken to arrange both of these tasks. We also experienced an infestation of red and carpenter ants in the Ganges Fire Hall offices this summer. We will be closing the Office to undergo fumigation Sept 8th for a minimum of 24 hours. We are also in the works of removing all overhanging tree branches and bushed away from the building to reduce the issue. On August 7th, SSIFR Firefighters responded to a vessel fire offshore in the harbour off Maracaibo. The large vessel anchored offshore was showing heavy smoke on arrival. The Canadian Coast Guard was unable to suppress the fire but secured the vessel from drifting. SSI Firefighters patrolled the shoreline to ensure…

Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue responded to a boat fire off Maracaibo on Salt Spring Island on August 7th, 2019. The initial call came in at 17:38 and crews completed the scene at 01:15 10 Firefighters responded with 4 fire trucks along with assistance from the Canadian Coast Guard and Eagle Eye Vessel Assist. On scene Firefighters found a 70’ vessel moored approximately 350’ from shore showing heavy smoke from inside the vessel. The Coast Guard was unable to assist with suppressing the fire due to safety risks and a large propane tank. Coast Guard was able to secure a second anchor to prevent the vessel from drifting to shore. Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue’s primary objective was to ensure the safety and fire spread to land or structures from flying embers. Fire crews patrolled for fire and extinguished a small wooden dock that had drifted in from the vessel. The vessel later sunk in the early morning of August 8th, 2019. Special thanks to Eagle Eye Vessel Assist, a…

Vision: A responsive and sustainable fire-rescue service, effectively meeting community needs and valued by those we serve. Mission: Always learning, engaging and adapting to be response ready. Response Report Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 58 calls the month of June.   Operations We experienced a very dry June with below-normal precipitation.  Over the month we fluctuated between HIGH and MODERATE fire dangers.  Our crews are prepared for this summers wildfire season as well as any deployments requested from the Province. For more information on Fire Danger Ratings and High Risk activities please visit:  https://saltspringfire.com/high-risk-activities-new/ Wildfire and Summer Forecast     Membership Training Our dedicated members trained on several disciplines over the month of June including: First Responder Training Ocean Water Drafting (Ganges test trials) Water R…

Vision: A responsive and sustainable fire-rescue service, effectively meeting community needs and valued by those we serve. Mission: Always learning, engaging and adapting to be response ready. Response Report Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 61 calls for assistance in May.  (Calls to Date:  291) Operations To be proactive regarding wildfire prevention a recommendation was submitted to the local Islands Trust Committee to consider adding a Wildfire Hazard Development Permit Area (DPA) with in the Salt Spring Island Official Community Plan.  An effective Wildfire Hazard DPA would consider such things as building construction materials, and FireSmart principles. Our past month we have concentrated our efforts to wildfire response conducted several training sessions and courses to ensure our members are response ready for this summers fire season.  The Province of BC recently posted their summer forecast and our region has been highlighted as…

Vision: A responsive and sustainable fire-rescue service, effectively meeting community needs and valued by those we serve. Mission: Always learning, engaging and adapting to be response ready. On behalf of the Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue organization I would like to thank Trustee and outgoing Chairperson Per Svendsen for his fantastic leadership to the board and the department.  I would also like to recognize outgoing Trustee’s Howard Baker and Chris Budd for their service to the community while welcoming new Trustees Jo MacDonald and Andreas Gedeon. Finally, I would like to congratulate Trustee Ron Lindstrom on his new role as the Chair.  I look forward to working together as we move into a new and exciting generation of our fire service. Response Report Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to an above average 64 calls for assistance in April. Unfortunately, the beautiful town landmark Eucalyptus has died in front of Hall 1 and will be removed in …

As Fire Chief of Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue, it is my honour to present the 2018 Annual Fire Chief’s report. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District Board of Trustees and volunteer committee members who dedicated countless hours in 2018 for the betterment of our community and the department. I am exceptionally proud of our men and women that serve in all areas of Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue, they are skilled professionals who are pushed to their physical, mental and emotional limits on a daily basis. We have designed this report to highlight our performance and accomplishments we celebrated over the year. 2018 was an exciting time for our community as your fire department was able to elevate the level of safety, health and economic viability all while responding to a record high call volume. You continue to experience fast and effective responses due to our training and skilled personnel and the community’s o…

Response Report: Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 49 calls for assistance in March.  From January to March 2019, SSIFR has responded to 72 Fire Incidents, 71 Medical Incidents, 13 Rescues, and 10 calls for Assistance (Total 166 Calls) Operations This month firefighters attended our first of the year brush fires.  Two fast moving brush fires were a direct result of backyard burning that escaped into dry combustible material.  Burning is still permitted on Salt Spring Island but we urge residents to ensure they meet the minimum requirements outlined in the Burning Regulations (Open Burning Bylaw No.125) Incidents SSIFR Firefighters responded to report of “Smoke in a Residential Structure” on March 24th in the south end of Salt Spring Island on Bay Ridge Place.  Due to the fast response of the local alarm company the fire was contained to the area of origin resulting in minimal property damage.  The Alarm Companies responder (also a former SSIFR Fir…

Response Report - Salt Spring Island Firefighters responded to 58 calls for assistance in February, a 52% INCREASE over Feb 2018. Operations As the cold weather hit, so did an increase in chimney fires and Carbon Monoxide calls.  Chimney fires are a leading cause for structure fires on Salt Spring Island.  These fires can readily spread into the roof or structure of a building and have destroyed numerous homes on Salt Spring.  Chimney fires are often first detected by a loud roaring noise. Clouds of black smoke or sparks might be visible from the top of the chimney. In severe cases, flames can extend several feet above the chimney. To prevent chimney fires, focus on these two key ideas: 1) Clean, maintain and inspect your chimney at least once a year. 2) Burn only clean and well-seasoned wood. Membership Our organization sends gratitude to our great firefighters who retired this past month.  Firefighter Colin McDougall joined Salt Spring Island Fire…

Incident Report - Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) responded to a record 183 Incidents in December 2018, ending the year with our highest call volume in history of 816 incidents. These incidents included: Fires: 8 Hydro Fires, 1 Chimney Fire, 1 Mobile Home/Trailer Fire, 1 Vehicle Fire, 2 Brush/Grass Fires, 3 Sightings/Smells of Fire, 1 Miscellaneous Fire. Hydro Lines: 72 Hydro Lines Down and 14 Trees on Lines. Assists: , 24 Medical Responses, 4 Assists to BC Ambulance Services, 8 Assists to the General Public, 7 Assists for Miscellaneous Complaints, 4 Public Works Assists, 1 RCMP Assist. 10 Motor Vehicle Incidents (MVI). Alarms: 6 Carbon Dioxide (CO) Alarms, 5 Commercial Alarms. HasMat Events: 3 Propane, 2 Chemical (or Unknown) Spills or Leaks. Open Burns: 5 General Open Burns, 1 Campfire Operations Update: On December 1st, the Capital Region Emergency Service Telecommunications (CREST) hosted a Community Information Meeting at the Legion to detail the planned comm…

Response Report - Salt Spring Island Fire rescue (SSIFR) responded to 34 incidents in November totaling 633 incidents from January 1-November 30, 2018. These incidents included: 2 Chimney fires, 8 medical calls, 6 MVI (motor vehicle incidents), 3 Rescues (1 rope/high/confined, 1 elevator, 1 animal), 5 Calls for assistance, 3 Open burns, 2 Beach fires, 1 Tree on lines, 4 Alarm Bells (2 residential, I commercial, and 1 carbon monoxide alarm) Operations Update - Every fall, Mainroads Contracting organizes a meeting with other emergency response agencies to prepare for the winter season. This year, the meeting was held on November 7th, and SSIFR attended, along with other local emergency preparedness agencies. Initial weather forecasts predict a low snow year but potentially heavy rain and wind. On Nov 28th the Alert Ready Emergency Notification system was tested in BC. The Alert Ready system is Canada’s emergency alerting system. Alert Ready delivers critical and potentially…

Do you have a Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm installed in your home? - Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue recently attended a carbon monoxide (CO) incident at a home that was too close a call for those exposed. Although it was originally thought to be false alarm, firefighters took reading of the air with a 4 Gas detector and quickly determined high levels of carbon monoxide. The propane furnace was identified as the probable culprit. After thorough ventilation and shutting down the furnace, the air quality improved. Often called the invisible killer, carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn. In homes, fuel-burning heating and cooking equipment are potential sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles or generators running in an attached garage can also produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. What are the symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning? Carbon Monoxide enters the body throu…

Response Report - SSIFR responded to an above average month with 79 Incidents in September. Alarm Bells - 5, Assistance - 11, Medical - 27, HAZMAT - 2, MVI - 5, Structure Fire - 4, Open Burn - 18, Hydro - 1, Beach Fire - 2, Brush / Grass Fire - 3, Rubbish Fire - 1 Operations Update - After significant rainfall and a reduced fire hazard to Moderate/Low the burning ban that had been in place since July 18th, 2018 was lifted. This month we launched our annual Paid-On-Call Recruit Drive. Firefighters staffed the Fall Fair booth Sept 15-16 promoting the organization and our recruit program. Applications close Oct 31st 2018. Applications can be picked up at the Ganges Fire hall or online at www.saltspringfire.com/recruit September 4th was the close of our Wildfire Deployment for the Northern BC wildfires. For the second year in a row we have deployed SSIFR firefighters and our Reserve Water Tender to assist the Province. Our 2018 deployment spanned from August 15th to Septembe…

Salt Spring Fire Rescue (SSIFR) responded to 71 Incidents for the month of July. Operations Update Due to dry and hot weather, SSIFR declared a full fire ban July 18, in an effort to reduce human-caused fires on the island. Since July 12th Salt Spring Island has maintained a steady “Extreme” Fire danger. Work is underway enhancing the front office at fire hall one in Ganges. The small improvements will create a more welcoming entrance with better access to fire and life safety educational information. Incident Highlights With the dry conditions and low humidity several mulch fires were reported due to improperly discarded smoking materials. A ‘No Tossed Butts’ campaign will launch in August in an effort to bring awareness to improperly discarded butts and the risk they pose for our island. July 14th, Firefighters responded to a two-vehicle motor vehicle incident (MVI) on Long Harbour with extensive vehicle damage and multiple patients. Long Harbour Roa…

Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue has been requested to continue our wildfire deployment in northern British Columbia. A replacement crew left August 29th, 2018 to relieve SSIFR Firefighters Taylor and Nuyens. Firefighters Mitchell Sherrin and Jason Gaffney took over starting Aug 30th, 2018. The state of emergency declared August 15th has now been formally extended to Sept 12th, 2018. Recent reports from the BC Wildfire Service now state 2018 as the worst fire season on record with over 1.3 million hectares burnt so far this year. As of August 29th, 2018, 534 wildfires are burning in B.C., with 34 evacuation orders affecting approximately 3,200 people, plus 53 evacuation alerts impacting approximately 21,800 people. I would like to thank both Firefighters Taylor and Nuyens for assisting our neighbours to the north during British Columbia’s worst fire season in history. Our thoughts continue to go out to all the communities affected by this year’s fire season. …