100 Mile House Fire-Rescue Fire Services Review

100 Mile House Fire-Rescue Fire Services Review Dave Mitchell & Associates Ltd. September 2014 Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 5 Service Mandate and Operational Authority ............................................................................... 7 Overview ................................................................................................................................ 7 Definitions Section .................................................................................................................. 8 Fire Department Operations ................................................................................................... 9 Other Provisions ....................................................................................................................13 Operational Review ...................................................................................................................14 Overview ...............................................................................................................................14 Organizational Structure and Staffing ....................................................................................14 Recruitment and Retention of Volunteers ..............................................................................17 Fire Prevention ......................................................................................................................22 Records Management ...........................................................................................................25 Fire Hall Facilities ..................................................................................................................26 Fire Department Apparatus ...................................................................................................28 Training .....................................................................................................................................32 Overview of Training and Training Standards ........................................................................32 Department Training ..............................................................................................................34 Operational Guidelines Review .............................................................................................36 Training Centre ......................................................................................................................37 Budget Review and Benchmarking ...........................................................................................38 Occupational Health and Safety ................................................................................................43 Overview ...............................................................................................................................43 OH&S Program .....................................................................................................................44 Joint Health and Safety Committee .......................................................................................45 WHMIS Program ...................................................................................................................48 Response Analysis ...................................................................................................................49 Communications .......................................................................................................................59 Service Agreements and Mutual Aid .........................................................................................61 Fire Protection Agreement .....................................................................................................61 Mutual Aid Agreement ...........................................................................................................64 100 Mile House Fire Services Review 2014 Page 2 of 100 Fire Service Delivery Options ................................................................................................68 Fire Underwriters Survey ..........................................................................................................70 Summary of Recommendations ................................................................................................78 Appendix 1: Acronyms and Definitions and Referenced NFPA Standards ................................82 Appendix 2: Provincial Wildfire Policies .....................................................................................85 Appendix 2: Firefighter Training ................................................................................................86 Appendix 3: Live Fire Training ...................................................................................................89 Appendix 4: Required Fire Department Records .......................................................................92 Appendix 5: Consultant Resumes .............................................................................................97 100 Mile House Fire Services Review 2014 Page 3 of 100 Tables and Figures Table 1: Fire Inspections 2010 to 2013 .....................................................................................23 Table 2: Apparatus ...................................................................................................................28 Table 3: FUS Fire Apparatus Lifespan .....................................................................................29 Table 4: Department Operational Budgets 2010 to 2014 ...........................................................38 Table 5: Department Capital Budgets 2010 to 2014 ..................................................................39 Table 6: Fire Department Cost Comparisons ...........................................................................41 Table 7: Total Response by Response Zone ...........................................................................50 Table 8: Responses by Hour ....................................................................................................52 Table 9: Responses by Day of the Week ..................................................................................54 Table 10: Responses by Month .................................................................................................55 Table 11: Volunteer Turn-out to Incidents .................................................................................56 Table 12: Estimated Commercial Insurance Rate Savings ........................................................72 Table 13: Dwelling Protection Grade Ratings ............................................................................75 Figure 1: Total Events by Month 2009 to 2013 ..........................................................................50 Figure 2: Total Responses by Zone .........................................................................................51 Figure 3: Responses by Hour ...................................................................................................53 Figure 4: Responses by Day of the Week .................................................................................54 Figure 5: Responses by Month ................................................................................................55 Figure 6: Responses by Volunteers 0800 to 1800 ....................................................................57 Figure 7: Responses by Volunteers 1800 to 0800 .....................................................................57 Figure 8: Locations of All Responses .......................................................................................58 Figure 9: Locations of Responses to Structure Fires .................................................................59 Figure 10: Swissphone Paging System - screen shot ...............................................................61 100 Mile House Fire Services Review 2014 Page 4 of 100 Executive Summary The 100 Mile House Fire-Rescue Department (the “Department”) provides a range of emergency and non-emergency services in a fire protection area of some 97 square kilometres, protecting a population of more than 4,800 residents. It also responds to road rescue incidents over a larger, defined area within the southern Cariboo Regional District (the “CRD”). The Department operates from a single fire hall responding to an average of 25 incidents per month with a paid Fire Chief and 21 volunteers. Dispatch is provided by the Prince George Fire/Rescue Department using career fire dispatchers with call management software including radio and paging systems. The Department operates quite efficiently in terms of its budget and on a per-capita basis is budgeted to cost $117 per year compared with a benchmark average of $144 per year.1 Its training facility, built over the last several years and reflecting a significant investment of effort by the volunteer members and financial commitment by the District of 100 Mile House (the “District”), meets contemporary requirements and serves to train members of the Department as well as other departments within the region. Priorities for the Department include an increase in staffing, replacement of fire apparatus nearing the end of its useable life, a review of radio system coverage deficits and a need to update and

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