Report MESACHIE LAKE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT THIRD-PARTY REVIEW May 9, 2018

Attachment A

Presented to: Attention: Cowichan Valley Regional District Jason deJong, CFO 175 Ingram Street Fire Rescue Services Coordinator Duncan BC Public Safety Division, Community Services Department

Submitted by: Behr Integrated Solutions Inc. 750, 600 – 6 Avenue SW Calgary AB T2P 0S5 403-444-6940 www.behrintegrated.com

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

PREFACE The following serves as the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s (CVRD) third party review of the Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department (MLVFD). The primary motivation for this review was to assess the long term economic and operational sustainability of the MLVFD. Factors prompting this review include: aging infrastructure and apparatus replacement, low firefighter recruitment and retention, increasing training costs, unattainable asset management plan objectives and a very low annual call volume. The overarching goal of this review is to provide the CVRD with observations, recommendations and options to be considered towards the development of a long term sustainable fire protection strategy that optimizes efficient, safe and effective service delivery for the Community of Mesachie Lake. To the largest extent possible, this review utilized evidence based data, references, response statistics, industry leading practices and recommended standards, comparative communities and the fiscal/economic realities to develop potential options. Quantifying community risk factors for Mesachie Lake are somewhat subjective. However Behr has the experience and expertise to make a highly competent assessment. In our opinion, there are overlapping and duplications to service coverage between Mesachie Lake and Honeymoon Bay. We strongly recommend that this review be released to the Community of Mesachie Lake as part of an extensive community engagement process to determine which option the majority of Community members prefer. It is important for the senior administrative and political levels within the CVRD are supportive and receptive to feedback and concerns raised by the Mesachie Lake Community.

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to acknowledge the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) in taking this step to guide their interim and long term planning and decision making for the community of Mesachie Lake emergency response services. The process in writing this Third-Party Review was a collaborative effort working with CVRD Project Lead and Fire Services Coordinator, Jason de Jong, and from the following individuals:  Ian Morrison, Area F Director  Brian Carruthers, CAO  John Elzinga, GM Community Services Department  Mark Kueber, GM Corporate Services Department  Conrad Cowan, Manager Public Safety  Kevin Smith, Fire Chief MLVFD  Rob Grant, GIS Supervisor  Gail Erickson, Administrative Support

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... I SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Project Background ...... 1 1.2 Background and Significance ...... 1 1.3 Project Scope ...... 2 1.3.1 Project Goals ...... 2 1.3.2 Standards and References ...... 2 1.3.3 Review Considerations ...... 3 1.4 Project Outcomes ...... 3 1.5 Study Methodology...... 4 SECTION 2 COMMUNITY OVERVIEW AND RISK ...... 7 2.1 Community Profile ...... 7 2.1.1 Geography ...... 7 2.1.2 Economy ...... 8 2.1.3 Population, Growth and Community Demographics ...... 8 2.2 Community Infrastructure Overview ...... 9 2.3 Community Risk Assessment ...... 9 2.3.1 Challenges ...... 10 2.3.2 Risk Management ...... 10 2.4 Risk Evaluation Matrix ...... 10 2.5 Structural Risk Analysis ...... 11 2.6 Risk Evaluation Matrix ...... 12 2.6.1 Community Risk Analysis Overview ...... 14 SECTION 3 SERVICE DESCRIPTION AND SUSTAINABLITY ...... 16 3.1 Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Overview ...... 16 3.1.1 Firehall...... 17 3.1.2 Fire Apparatus and Major Equipment ...... 21 3.2 Response Statistics ...... 24 3.2.1 First Medical Response Program ...... 25 3.2.2 Service Effectiveness and Effective Response Force (ERF) ...... 25 3.3 Industry Standards ...... 26 3.4 Intervention Time ...... 27 3.5 Effective Response Force ...... 28 3.6 Critical Task Analysis ...... 30 3.7 Theoretical Response Time ...... 34

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

3.7.1 Theoretical Response Maps ...... 34 3.7.2 Honeymoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department ...... 40 3.8 Community Comparable ...... 42 3.9 Levels of Service ...... 44 3.10 Sustainable Service Options & Recommendations ...... 45 3.11 Preferred Option(s) and Recommendation ...... 48 SECTION 4 CONCLUSION ...... 50 APPENDIX ‘A’ ACRONYMS...... 51 APPENDIX ‘B’ THEORETICAL RESPONSE MAPPING METHODOLOGY ...... 52 B.1 Base Data Layers Requested ...... 52 B.2 Data formats ...... 52 B.3 Purpose of Files ...... 52 B.4 Theoretical Response Zone ...... 53 APPENDIX ‘C’ LIST OF FIGURES, MAPS, AND TABLES ...... 55 APPENDIX ‘D’ PRESENTATION ...... 56

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction Effective management of a fire department requires a clear understanding of risk coupled with the ability to provide and manage community resources to deal with the risk. It is imperative that all stakeholders know how a fire department’s abilities and resource affects the outcome of a response. Many fire departments across the nation are challenged by budget constraints, increasing non- fire related responses such as First Medical Responses (FMR), rising costs for emergency vehicles and equipment and efficient sustainable risk management. Failing to effectively manage these considerations can leave a community and the responders vulnerable, leading to unfavorable outcomes including increased risk and liability. Communities must effectively assess the risks and create a plan that encompasses current and anticipated needs. The primary focus of this review is to assess the current state of the Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department and provide expert opinion and recommendations that will assist the CVRD in developing a long term strategy for the Community of Mesachie Lake. The observations, recommendations and options contained in this review combine a number of factors and considerations to achieve a high level of public value for an emergency management strategy. Community Overview Mesachie Lake is overall a stable, primarily residential community with a subtle population decrease during the period 2011-2016. The estimated current population is approximately 200. The larger percentage of the population is between the ages of 15 to 64 years (65.5%). The second largest cohort is the grouping of 65 years and over (25.7%). In determining risks for a community, demographics profiles are important to consider. Human failing including the elderly, infants and people of diminished capacity are a significant contributing factor in residential fires. They are a few small local businesses with the majority of the residents are employed in the sales and service occupation, trades, transportation and equipment operators, natural resources, agriculture, and management and business sectors. Our research does not include any significant developments over the next interim period of 5-10 years. The majority of fire/emergency related risks within Mesachie Lake are deemed to be within the moderate category. This assessment is based upon: census data, demographics, community profile, industrial, economical profiles and response statistics. Comparatively this assessment is considered typical of a small residential community with similar characteristics. There are 3 community risk factors within Mesachie Lake that required additional consideration:  Urban Wildland interface within the community boundaries  Mesachie Lake is located in an Extreme Wildfire Hazard interface area  Motor Vehicle Incidents (MVI) and hazardous material response vehicle incidents occurring on Pacific Marine Route A CVRD establishment Bylaw (No. 2086, dated November 12th, 1998) is the Regional District’s statute that created the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area and to establish the MLVFD to carry out the provision of fire protection and suppression and emergency assistance to the Local Service Area.

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There are several basic categories of call types that have been identified through MLVFD historical call data:  Emergency Medical Assistance (FMR)  MVI’s  Public Assistance  Fires (all categories)  Mutual Aid  Rescue  Miscellaneous (smoke odors, alarms, burning complaints, etc.) It is important to note that the call volume is very small with the average annual response of 21 calls for service. Emergency medical aid (FMR) is 65.6% of the total annual call volume. These events require a minimal number of staff who are trained and equipped with the appropriate tools and equipment to be safe and effective at completing their tasks. Applied to MLVFD, the FMR program should not be considered as the primary role to substantiate service levels, additional specialized vehicles and/or equipment. Participation in the FMR program is discretionary and within the authority of the CVRD. MLVFD participation in the FMR program is not critical given the response statistics and close proximity to alternative fire services such as Honeymoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department (HBVFD) that can provide an equitable level of service within acceptable risk tolerances. It is understood that this area is covered by only one ambulance and that it’s often deployed beyond the immediate response area. This issue is better resolved at the CVRD and BCEHS provincial level to increase service capacity if this area is determined to be underserved by BCAS.

Industry Standards & Leading Practices The most widely accepted standards for the fire service is National Fire Protection Standards (NFPA). Several decades of research have resulted in NFPA establishing industry benchmarks for operation and firefighter safety. The use of industry standards, such as NFPA, does not limit a local government’s flexibility to develop levels of service based upon local conditions and economic realities. Rather, the use of these standards as a guide, along with WorkSafe BC’s interior structural firefighting regulation (article 31.23 Interior Firefighting refers), can allow CVRD to establish levels of service that optimize service delivery within its fire service budget requisitions while maintaining firefighter and public safety. The NFPA’s Standard 1420: Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments provide clear performance standards for departments to ensure effective measurement and reporting of activities. Alternatively, most Canadian municipalities choose to develop a performance standard based on their specific risk factors, organizational capacity and economic conditions. This type of performance standard is acceptable as there is no legislated or regulated obligation for a community to have a fire service in BC. In this case, the responsibility to understand community expectations and to determine an appropriate level of investment in fire service rests with the CVRD Board.

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The NFPA sets standards for intervention time, and although these are not requirements they are widely accepted as industry best practices. They therefore provide a good standard by which departments can measure their performance and set targets. NFPA’s Standard 1720: provides as basis to evaluate the MLVFD’s service effectiveness. The table below is an excerpt from NFPA Standard 1720 that identifies the recommended minimum staff to respond (ERF) and response time based upon demand zone (fire protection area) and demographics. Table 5: Staffing and Response Time

Demand Zone Demographics Minimum Staff Response Time Meets Objective to Respond (minutes) (%) Urban Area >1000 people/mi2 15 9 90 Suburban Area 500-1000 people/mi2 10 10 80 Rural Area <500 people/mi2 6 14 80 Remote Area Travel distance >8 mi 4 Directly dependent on travel distance Special Risks Determined by AHJ Determined by AHJ AHJ based on risk - A jurisdiction can have more than one demand zone - Minimum staffing includes members responding from the AHJs department and automatic aid - Response time begins upon completion of the dispatch notification and ends at the time interval shown in the table This table also includes a percentile objective for volunteer services to meet the recommended standards. In the case of a suburban or remote area the objective would be to respond to all calls for service 80% of the time within 10 and 14 minutes respectively. WorkSafe BC regulations stipulate that if firefighters enter a structure fire’s hazardous atmosphere, a minimum of 2 must be together and there must be at least one firefighter outside to initiate a rescue if necessary. This does not include the operator of the fire pump who is integral to ensuring that the two interior firefighters have water to combat the fire and protect themselves. Essentially this means that the first arriving fire company is not legally able to perform entry into a single family house fire to perform a rescue unless 4 firefighters are on scene. The standard goes on to state that within 10 minutes of entry, an additional two member team must be available standing by outside to perform a firefighter rescue or the two member interior team must exit and abandon interior operations. The Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area is 2.67km2 or 1.03sq/mi with a population of approximately 200. Based upon NFPA 1720 this community would be categorized as rural area with a recommended response/travel time of 14 minutes from notification. Given the assessed risk factors identified in this review regarding wild fire interface it was considered prudent to examine 10 (suburban) and 12 (rural/suburban) minute response time standards. The components of service effectiveness are comprised of the intervention and response time sequence, the Effective Response Force (ERF), industry standards, staffing of emergency response vehicles, and critical tasks. For clarity the ERF is the minimum number of personnel that are required to manage an event and is necessary to minimize the loss of life and property as well as maintaining firefighter safety.

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Department Overview MLVFD has been in existence since the early 1950s as a volunteer service with no fulltime staff. During this period and up to the present, this organization has been a community fire service with a very strong community affiliation and support. In February 2018, CVRD appointed a new Fire Chief, two newly promoted Fire Lieutenants and 11 firefighters with varying levels of training and experience. A cursory review was conducted on their training records and practice sessions and the general indication is that the MLVFD is an active department that is progressing with the CVRD’s core training policy. Since the beginning of 2018 the average attendance at the practice sessions is 7 firefighters. In July 2017 the CVRD in accordance with the BC Fire Service Structural Firefighters Competency and Training Playbook declared MLVFD as Interior Operations. To provide these services the MLVFD operates out of a small fire station (300 sq. ft.) that was built in circ1940. In 2013 and 2017 CVRD conducted facility assessments on this station. These assessments focused on the building systems, structure, major components and building code compliance. Of the 37 separate items identified in the assessment the majority was deemed to be in very poor condition. The facility condition assessments did not include a functional evaluation of the fire station. Behr’s assessment identified a number of functional deficiencies such as inadequate: apparatus bay area to support a safe and operationally effective space, firefighters staging and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) storage, maintenance, cleaning and decontamination, and training and fitness areas. The MLVFD is a well-equipped small community fire service. Response vehicles include a 1998 KME Engine and a 2003 Ford 6-pack crew cab diesel rescue vehicle. It is important to note that the rescue vehicle was purchased by the MLVFD Association through fund raising events and raffles in the community and BC gaming grants. Until recently this vehicle was licensed, insured, maintained and operated by the Association. The principle role of this rescue vehicle was to attend MVI’s on the Pacific Marine Circle Route (PMCR). The response statistic indicates that on average MLVFD responds to 2 MVIs on the highway per year. The annual gaming grant to the MLVFD Association covers approximately 60% of the operating costs with the remaining 40% coming from annual fund raising events and donations. Within an acceptable response time to the PMCR there are 3 rescue vehicles (LCVFD, MLVFD and HBVFD). In April 2018 the Association and the CVRD entered into a lease agreement for this vehicle and equipment. The CVRD’s intent was to take full control and liability for this vehicle and to allow usage by MLVFD/CVRD Firefighters for responses on the PMCR and in the fire protection area. The Association was not paying the $9,000 per year liability insurance premium which was assumed to be included by the CVRD. Based upon Fire Underwriters (FUS) and NFPA standards, both of MLVFD response vehicles are at, or close to the end of their reliable life cycle. The current CVRD transfer to capital reserves for the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area does not have sufficient funds to replace either vehicle. At the time of this review the capital reserve was $30,860. In order to maintain a safe and viable level of service for Mesachie Lake the MLVFD requires significant enhancements/investment. The rough order magnitude to build a new station and replace the emergency response vehicles is estimated to be $2.4 million. The CVRD would have to (with public assent) debenture borrow this from the Province. This funding would be amortized and recovered from the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area, and result in a significant residential tax rate increase.

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Service Level In addition to the call volume statistics for MLVFD an analysis of the ERF was conducted. The ERF is the minimum number of personnel that are required to manage an event and is necessary to minimize the loss of life and property as well as maintaining firefighter safety. The MLVFD’s initial response to an incident is currently averaging 2-3 firefighters. It must be noted that the data provided was difficult to obtain given the manner in which the CVRD obtains the response statistics from Nanaimo Dispatch and the level of granularity. Each response required the Fire Service Coordinator to manually review the Dispatcher’s notes; however the data provided is deemed to be an accurate representation of the current ERF. The average ERF of 2-3 firefighters is problematic given the WorkSafe BC regulations for interior firefighting and the number of critical tasks required at a basic residential fire. In addition the normal types of calls that MLVFD responds to require no less than 4 firefighters on the initial deployment. It is understood that there is an automatic aid agreement with HBVFD and a mutual aid agreement with LCVFD that will provide a convergence of firefighters at a working fire or large event. NFPA1720 recommends for volunteer fire services in a suburban area to have an ERF of 10 firefighters arriving on scene within 10 minutes of notification in 80% of all calls for service. MLVFD’s on scene average time is 10 minutes 30 seconds. Theoretical Response Analysis These theoretical response maps indicate for both the 10 and 12 minute response time that there is considerable overlapping geographical coverage between MLVFD and HBVFD. These stations are 4.8kms apart. While the LCVFD is beyond the 12 minute response time to reach Mesachie Lake it is within a reasonable response distance of 8kms. Including LCVFD, there are 3 separate fire services within 11.9 km. There are duplicate services such as rescue vehicles for MVIs. Of particular note is that the MLVFD and HBVFD provide emergency response services to a total area of 5.15 km2 with a combined population of approximately 700 people. To put this into context, and as an example the Community of Union Bay has a fire protection area of 13.57 km2 with a population of 1185 that is protected by 1 volunteer fire department. There are numerous other examples of small communities with larger response areas and populations that are covered by 1 local volunteer service. Additionally, in terms of the FUS and assessment of fire protection grading HBVFD and LCVFD are within 8kms of the community of Mesachie Lake. FUS provides data on public fire protection for fire insurance statistical work and underwriting purposes of subscribing insurance companies. This overlap in geographic response coverage prompted an analysis to the HBVFD and their response capacity. Honeymoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department (HBVFD) and Comparative Communities The HBVFD mobilization (enroute) and response times of 5 minutes 42 seconds and 9 minutes 42 seconds respectively are very good for a small volunteer fire service. The NFPA 1720 response time of 10 minutes is being consistently met by HBVFD. The average ERF of 3-4 firefighters while better than MLVFD is problematic given the WorkSafe BC regulations for interior firefighting and the number of critical tasks required at a basic residential fire. However, the mutual aid agreement with LCVFD has the resources to initiate a 2nd engine response to augment the initial response engine.

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Comparing Mesachie Lakes’ fire service to that of similar communities is a good way to identify where its strengths and weaknesses are. Honeymoon Bay CVRD, Port Renfrew CRD, Ships Point (Comox Valley Regional District), and Swansea Point (Regional District of Columbia Shuswap) were selected as appropriate comparable, based on the sizes of their service areas and populations. There are two common challenges with small volunteer departments across BC and across Canada; sustainable funding and recruitment and retention. Sufficient funding to support and maintain a sustainable service level. These small fire services in addition to taxation revenues rely on grants, fund raising events, and donations to deliver emergency response services within the respective community. Capital and life cycle replacement costs are particularly challenging and usually results in the prolonged use of facilities and major equipment well beyond the reliable, functional and/or safe operation. Recruitment and retention of volunteers is the 2nd greatest challenge with volunteer fire services. In small communities such as Mesachie Lake this is exacerbated given the limited population and that in general the majority of the volunteers do not work within the community. This impacts the volunteer’s available time to respond amidst work schedules and employer location. The time commitment required to develop and maintain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities combined with very low call volumes creates additional factors related to recruitment and retention. In general people that join volunteer fire services do so to serve their community and respond to emergencies. It’s challenging to keep the interest and motivation if calls for service are very infrequent. Changing Times: Options Beyond the operational/functional issues identified this review there is an overarching challenge for the CVRD and the Community of Mesachie Lake. The BC Community Charter provides regional district boards with authority to provide a local service within a part of the regional district. Furthermore this authority also provides a board with the opportunity to provide a service to a portion of the regional district and to recover all or some of the costs of the service from the taxpayers within the local service area. CVRD Bylaw No. 1895 - Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Establishment Bylaw, Section 4 establishes the following: The annual cost for the service will be recovered by the requisition of money under Section 823 to be collected by a property value tax levied and collected on the net taxable value of land and improvements in the service area under Section 825(1) of the Municipal Act. All costs related to fire protection within the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area must come from the taxpayers within the local service area. The following table details the current (2018) financial overview of Fire Protection-Mesachie Lake.

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Table 22: MLVFD Financial Overview

2018 Requisition Residential Tax Rate Capital Reserve Operation Annual Budget Historical (per $100,000 Household) Reserve Average/Estimate $47,382 111.99 $31,123 $25,011 $47,382 (Stat Limit: Camp Imadene $6,000 per $71.003) year donation Est total:$53,382 In order to establish a long term safe and sustainable level of service for Mesachie Lake the following options are detailed for CVRD and the Community’s consideration: Option 1: Replace Fire Station and Major Equipment Complete replacement of fire station and major equipment and increase annual requisition to sustain MVLFD. The following are rough order of magnitude estimates:  Station: 1.5 million  Engine: 600-750K  Rescue: 200-250K  Annual budget requisition would be similar to Honeymoon Bay at 188K

Advantages Disadvantages  Addresses life cycle replacement of emergency  All costs to be recovered by taxpayers of local response vehicles service area  Addresses building condition deficiencies  Requires public assent to borrow capital  Addresses building functional and operational resource (referendum) issues  Increase taxation for fire protection  Mesachie Lake retains their fire service,  Overlapping coverage and duplication of community profile and MLVFD identity services with HBVFD  Does not address ERF or critical task shortfall

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Cost Analysis New Station (1.5 m) debit cost $105,476 New Engine (750k) debit cost $52,737 Rescue truck (250k) debit cost $17,578 Requisition to run the dept. $188,000 Total requisition $363,791 Tax Rate $8.5987/$1000 Cost per $100,000 of residential property $859.87 Current Situation 2018 requisition $47,382 2018 MLVFD tax rate $1.1199/$1000 Cost per $100,000 of residential property $111.99 Result An increase in the tax rate of $7.4788 / 1000 assessed value Option #2: Rescind Mesachie Lake and Honeymoon Bay Fire Protection Local Services Areas and Establish an Integrated Local Service Area Integrate (through public assent) the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection and Honeymoon Bay Local Service Areas into 1 local service area. This would result in the elimination of the MLVFD and an alignment of the requisitions/residential tax for both communities. Mesachie Lake’s $47,382/1.1199 combined with Honeymoon Bay’s $188,000/1.3247 could result in an adjusted combined rate for both communities.

Advantages Disadvantages  Provide acceptable response service for  Requires public assent to rescind local service geographic coverage and risk factors areas and integrate (referendum)  Efficient and effective reduction of CVRD  Marginal increase in taxation for fire protection emergency vehicle fleet. Reduction of 1 Mesachie Lake compared to option 1 redundant Engine & rescue (owned by MLVFD  Resistance and resignation from both MLVFD & Association) HBVFD firefighters towards an integrated  Integration of both volunteer groups increases service staff roster and potential to address ERF  Potential for political & community action at the shortfall loss of their respective community fire service.  Reduces long term capital and operational costs  Perceived degradation of service and increased of maintaining 2 separate fire services. life safety risks  Larger concentration of population to recruit volunteers  Eliminates overlapping coverage and duplication of services

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Cost Analysis Mesachie Lake requisition $47,383 Honeymoon Bay requisition $188,000 New combined requisition $235,382 New 2018 (combined) rate $1.2753 Current Situation Mesachie Lake $1.1199 Cost per $100,000 of residential property $111.99 Honeymoon Bay $1.3247 Result Increase to Mesachie lake of $0.1554 Decrease to Honeymoon Bay of $0.0494 Option #3: Establish a Contracted Area with Honeymoon Bay to Provide Fire Protection to Mesachie Lake Establish an administrative contract or Fee for Service agreement with Honeymoon Bay to provide fire protection services to Mesachie Lake. HBVFD would receive annual contract revenue from the current requisition for Mesachie Lake. This would result in the elimination of the MLVFD.

Section 332(3) of the LGA states that: A regional district service may be operated directly by the regional district or through another public authority, person or organization. Therefore the CVRD has the authority to provide a service through another organization (i.e. HBVFD). The argument could also be made that the CVRD is not providing a service through another organization given that HBVFD is a CVRD organization.

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It must be noted that any additional costs incurred by the HBVFD in responding to a call in the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Area would need to be billed in full to the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Service Area. Honeymoon Bay Fire Suppression and Prevention Service Area Establishment Bylaw No.1587 only gives authority to requisitioning for costs incurred in the Honeymoon Bay area. Option #4: Extend CVRD Contracted Area with Town of Lake Cowichan Extend the CVRD contracted area with the Town of Lake Cowichan to include Mesachie Lake. This would result in the elimination of the MLVFD.

Advantages Disadvantages  Reduction of CVRD emergency vehicle fleet.  Requires public consultation for community of Reduction of 1 redundant Engine & rescue Mesachie Lake (owned by MLVFD Association)  Resistance from MLVFD firefighters towards  Potential cost neutral loss of community profile and identity  Reduces long term capital and operational costs  Potential for political & community action at the of maintaining 2 separate fire services. loss of their community fire service.  Eliminates overlapping coverage and duplication  Degradation of service and increased life safety of services between HBVFD and LCVFD risks due to extended response times beyond  Addresses MLVFD building condition 10-12 minutes deficiencies  Higher call volume for LCVFD (annual average is  Addresses MLVFD building functional and 141 calls) operational issues  Potential for Town of Lake Cowichan to not accept extended contracted area Option #5: Status-quo. MLVFD Continues to provide services within existing system/resources

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Observations and Recommendations Observation #1: Urban Wildland Interface The community of Mesachie Lake is very picturesque with shaded streetscapes and ample greenery within a densely wooded neighborhood centre. This combined with narrow lanes/roadways and closely sited wood frame/clad houses presents an increased risk for fires that extend beyond the building of origin. In this situation the urban wildland interface will significantly (depending upon time of year) contribute to fire spread to adjacent structures, properties and wooded areas. The latter is particularly crucial given that the community is located in a high to extreme wildfire interface area. In BC 48% of all wildfires are caused by human activity. A concerted effort to prevent fires within the community must be undertaken by the residents with support from CVRD.

Recommendation #1: CVRD and Mesachie Lake smoke alarm campaign to ensure all residences are protected with a functioning smoke alarm as part of Wildland fire prevention within the Community It is recommended that CVRD and Mesachie Lake conduct an annual working smoke alarm campaign to ensure all residences are protected with a functioning smoke alarm. To minimize the loss of life and/or property in a residential fire, early detection is the best mitigation measure. Working smoke alarms provide an effective early detection to evacuate the residence and alert/initiate the emergency response. Early detection also contributes to the fire department’s opportunity to confine/suppress the fire to the room or building of origin and reduce fire extension into adjacent structures or wooded areas. It is recommended that CVRD places a concerted effort on a FireSmart program for all neighborhoods and communities. This program should include the achievement of becoming a recognized FireSmart Community District. Similarly, the best protection against loss damage or injury due to wildfire is prevention. In the last 5 years BC and Alberta have endured catastrophic losses due to wildfire. Entire communities have been obliterated. Attached as Appendix E is the BC Edition of the Home Owners FireSmart Manual. This manual provides complete information/guidance on how to significantly reduce the risk and effects of wildfires around individual homes and communities. FireSmart Canada offers recognition (grants) for Municipalities and Districts that become certified as FireSmart Communities. (Reference: Section 2.6.1 Community Risk Analysis Overview, Page 14)

Observation #2: Extreme Wildfire Interface Living in BC near a forested region will eventually lead to contending with the spread of wildfire. The 2017 BC Fire Storm serves to emphasize this fact. CVRD has an active Emergency Management Program and it’s crucial to continue to expand and enhance this program. Maintaining close working relationships with local and provincial emergency response agencies is a key aspect to a successful emergency management program.

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Recommendation #2: Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) enhancements to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery It is recommended that upon completion of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) that enhancement to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery is undertaken. In addition staff training, exercises and public awareness/education be conducted. At the time this report was being written CVRD was in the final stages of updating the CWPP. In addition to conducting extensive prevention measures within each CVRD community it is equally important to be prepared from an emergency management perspective. (Reference: Section 2.6.1 Community Risk Analysis Overview, Page 14)

Observation #3 CVRD Volunteer Fire Rescue Services Level Policy In July 2017 the CVRD in accordance with the BC Fire Service Structural Firefighters Competency and Training Playbook declared MLVFD as Interior Operations as well as the other CVRD Volunteer Departments. This policy requires new firefighters to achieve the Interior Operations training level within 24 months. The prerequisite is to achieve Exterior Operations within this same time period. Interior firefighting is one of the most complex and dangerous operations that municipal fire departments undertake. In small communities like Mesachie Lake, structural fires requiring interior operations occur rarely. This infrequency combined with the hours of training/practice that volunteers can devote to interior operations needs to be given due consideration. Response activities that are undertaken on a recurring basis require less training and practice compared to activities that are conducted very infrequently. Since CVRD declared that the volunteer fire services will be Interior Operations, the Fire Rescue Coordinator has received feedback indicating the challenges for their members to achieve this training standard within the policy timelines.

Recommendation #3: Focus Training Competencies on Exterior Operations for MLVFD Given the above and upon review of the MLVFD response statistics over the last 3 years it is recommended that the provision within the Fire Rescue Policy be implemented that reduces the training level to Exterior Operations. This provides to opportunity for volunteers to become completely proficient with exterior operations before taking on a higher level service. This recommendation is intended to increase firefighter and public safety. A key aspect of this recommendation includes the annual smoke alarm campaign and enhanced FireSmart Programs. (Reference: Section 3.1 Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Overview, Page 16)

Observation #4: CVRD Relationship with MLVFD Association The operational and administrative roles between the CVRD and MLVFD Association do not appear to be formally established resulting in a lack of clarity resulting in conflicts and a somewhat negative relationship. The CVRD is the legitimate authority when it comes to fire protection services. This includes establishing the core services and respective resources required to deliver the service. In contrast, the Association has the autonomy to conduct its business as it pertains to fund raising, community events and other activities as identified in the BC Cooperative Association Act and the MLVFD Association’s constitution and bylaws. There needs to be a formally established agreement between the CVRD and the MLVFD that delineates the respective roles, authority and responsibilities.

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Recommendation #4: Formal Agreement with Volunteer Firefighter Associations It is recommended that the CVRD negotiate formal agreements with any Volunteer firefighters associations within the Regional District’s fire departments. The MLVFD Association’s intent was/is completely commendable and until recently had not impacted the Mesachie Lake taxpayers. A more cohesive/coordinated needs assessment with the CVRD may have revealed other opportunities to enhance public safety and not duplicate service coverage. (Reference: Section 3.1.2 Fire Apparatus and Major Equipment, Page 22)

Observation #5: MLVFD Major Apparatus Serviceability Given the life cycle replacement recommendations both of MLVFD response vehicle are at, or close to the end of their reliable life cycle. The current CVRD transfer to capital reserves for the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area does not have sufficient funds to replace either vehicle. At the time of this review the capital reserve was $30,860. It is understood that the MLVFD members have been conducting the annual performance test on the fire engine. The annual test verifies if the fire pump and components, and the overall vehicle is performing to NFPA standards and the vehicle’s specifications. These tests are normally completed by a qualified Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT).

Recommendation #5: Emergency Response Vehicle Life Cycle Condition Assessment In order to determine the remaining life cycle reliability of these response vehicles a complete condition assessment and NFPA performance test performed by a qualified EVT is recommended. Should the assessed condition of these vehicles be favorable due to low usage, it is possible to extend their service and not adversely affect the FUS insurance grading. Alternatively these vehicles may be subjected to a complete refurbishment to extend the life cycle. (Reference: Section 3.1.2 Fire Apparatus and Major Equipment, Page 24)

Observation #6: Mobilization (enroute) and Response Times The MLVFD mobilization (enroute) and response times of 5 minutes 30 seconds and 10 minutes 30 seconds respectively are very good for a small volunteer fire service. Contributing factors are the size of the fire protection area and that a number of the volunteers live in the community. The average ERF of 2-3 firefighters is problematic given the WorkSafe BC regulations for interior firefighting and the number of critical tasks required at a basic residential fire. In addition the normal types of calls that MLVFD responds to require no less than 4 firefighters on the initial deployment. It is understood that there is an automatic aid agreement with HBVFD and a mutual aid agreement with LCVFD that will provide a convergence of firefighters at a working fire or large event.

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Recommendation #7: CVRD conduct a complete Community engagement process with Mesachie Lake. We recommend that this review be released to the Community of Mesachie Lake with the intent through an engagement process to determine which option the majority of Community members prefer. It is important for the senior administrative and political levels within the CVRD to be supportive and receptive to feedback and concerns raised by the Mesachie Lake Community. (Reference: Section 3.11 Preferred Option(s) and Recommendation, Page 48)

Conclusion In creating this report, we analyzed a number of factors to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department. We looked at the operational and administrative aspects, as well as the community risk factors, growth and demographics, and economic realities. We reviewed MLVFD response data, its current facility and resources, and assessed the long term sustainability for the current service level. Our research and consultation with CVRD revealed there is a more efficient and effective option to provide a safe, viable and sustainable emergency response service for Mesachie Lake. Implementation of the recommendations outlined in this document will better position CVRD to facilitate this outcome, and enhance public safety with valued emergency services. The commitment, professionalism, and value to the Community contributed by members of the MLVFD are most noteworthy and this review does not undermine their credibility and dedication to Mesachie Lake and the CVRD community.

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SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Background Across Canada, all levels of government are facing strong demands for cost management, cost reduction and increased value in the delivery of services. Elected officials and government leaders are relentlessly looking for strategies that balance public expectations, deliver valued services/programs, while maintaining fiscal restraint amidst global, international, national and local economic realities. This environment has resulted in the need for fire service managers to adopt a more business-like approach to leading and managing their departments. Working with their municipality’s senior administration, Fire Service Managers need to be proactive and examine all aspects of the service delivery systems to look for innovative efficiencies and effectiveness. Effective management of a fire department requires a clear understanding of risk coupled with the ability to provide and manage community resources to deal with the risk. It is imperative that all stakeholders know how a fire department’s abilities and resource affects the outcome of a response. In addition to budget constraints many fire departments across the nation are challenged by increasing non-fire related responses such as First Medical Responses (FMR), rising costs for emergency vehicles, equipment, staffing and efficient sustainable risk management. Failing to effectively manage these considerations can leave a community and the responders vulnerable, leading to unfavorable outcomes. Communities must effectively assess the risks and create a plan that encompasses current and anticipated needs. 1.2 Background and Significance Since the 1950s the unincorporated community of Mesachie Lake has maintained a small volunteer fire service. The community of Mesachie Lake is within the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD). CVRD is comprised of nine electoral areas and four municipalities in the southern part of Vancouver Island. With a population of over 80,000 residents it covers a land area of 3,473.12 km². The community of Mesachie Lake is one of 3 communities located within Electoral Area F and is located between the Town of Lake Cowichan and the community of Honeymoon Bay. CVRD seeks to conduct a comprehensive services review of the Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department (MLVFD) referencing applicable standards and industry leading practices. Our review included extensive research and evaluation of the department identifying key findings and recommendations to address immediate, mid-range and long term planning. The MLVFD is the oldest operational CVRD fire station building that was built in the 1950’s. It is also the most challenging to manage and maintain. At the time of this review a new Fire Chief had been appointed. Within the 14 volunteer Firefighters, 2 Lieutenants have been appointed for a total of 14 staff. The Deputy Chief position remains vacant. The MLVFD faces ageing infrastructure, low firefighter recruitment and retention, increasing training and staff cost, and a very low annual call volume compared to its budget requirements. These factors, coupled with a poor infrastructure review and unattainable asset management plan objectives, brings into question the economic and operational viability, the long term sustainability of the fire department, and the safety of department volunteers and the community they serve.

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1.3 Project Scope This Fire Service Review is intended to harmonize the goals of safety for both emergency responders and the public, as well as to meet the current and projected needs of Mesachie Lake in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner. This document was developed by working closely with CVRD administrative senior staff and elected officials from the CVRD Board and is based on a detailed analysis of the current system, industry leading practices, comparative communities and assessed risks within the community of Mesachie Lake. 1.3.1 Project Goals The goal of this Fire Service Review is to provide the CVRD and community of Mesachie Lake with recommendations/options that offers the best template for the provision of emergency response services. The identified options are intended to balance public and responder’s safety with the economic realities, current and future risks, and operational viability. In order to achieve this, it is our objective to provide, via this review:  An assessment of Mesachie Lake’s current and projected community risk profile  A gap and risk analysis of where and how MLVFD aligns with its community risk profile  Recommendations/options as to how CVRD and the community of Mesachie Lake can best adjust and provide a long term financially and operationally sustainable emergency response services that aligns with the community risk profile  An approximate assessment of financial impacts to assist in decision making and plan implementation 1.3.2 Standards and References This review considered the following references and standards:  BC Health Services Act  British Columbia Emergency Response Management System (BCERMS)  BC Community Charter  BC Wildfire Act and Regulation  Clarks Fire Fighting Principles and Practices  BC Fire Service Structural Firefighters Competency and Training Playbook  BC Emergency Program Act  Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS)  IAFC 10 Rules of Structural Engagement  BC Local Government Act  National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Standards and Guidelines  WorkSafe BC (WCB) Act and Regulations  Study Factors

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1.3.3 Review Considerations This review considered the following factors in its assessment of, and recommendations for Mesachie Lake emergency response services:  Total area of review  Population  Economics  Multi-jurisdictional requirements and cooperation  Impacts of Government legislation  Support services  Public education and prevention  Service delivery methods  Future growth – residential and economic  Financial resources  Growth Projections and Developments  Current and future assessment on risks and response 1.4 Project Outcomes This review provides a comprehensive document that outlines key findings and strategies that incorporate objectives and timelines that will offer the best template for successful fiscal planning and operational design. Specifically, we conducted an in-depth analysis on the current service delivery, and centered our recommendations with the following concerns: 1) Asset Management Challenges a. Fire station viability – Review building condition assessment b. Fire apparatus - Underwriters requirements against apparatus on site c. Likelihood to bring up to standards 2) Economic viability a. Budget challenges – The MLVFD has the smallest budget and capital reserve fund of all six CVRD fire departments and has a small operating reserve b. Geographic Challenges - Distances/overlap from nearby neighbouring fire departments c. Likelihood to bring up to standards 3) Leadership a. Rescinded appointments of Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief b. Junior officer corps does not exist 4) Staffing & Recruitment Pressures a. Maintaining adequate staffing levels b. Sustainability

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5) Operations a. Call volumes and type b. Mutual aid fire departments c. Recommend bylaw changes (fire service response area) – continue, blended, eliminate? d. Mapping – Response area e. Hazards & risks in response area This document serves as the CVRD and the community of Mesachie Lake’s Fire Services Review plan. It identifies and assesses the nature and sources of risk faced by the community, calibrate the resources available to address these risks, identify any gaps between risks and resources, and provide recommendations/options regarding how CVRD can best address these gaps. This approach was designed to ensure that the nature and allocation of resources and the relationships between key stakeholders are aligned with real risk. 1.5 Study Methodology A systematic approach was followed to complete this project. At commencement of the study, documents provided by CVRD Project Manager were evaluated using best practices and industry benchmarks. This included mutual aid agreements, bylaws, administrative policies and procedures, organizational overview, community profiles, response statistics, emergency response fleet, relevant studies and corporate plans. The project was initiated by a site visit and series of interviews with key CVRD staff/stakeholders including the Electoral Area F Director, Chief Administrative Officer, General Managers of Corporate and Community Services, Manager of Public Safety, Fire Rescue Services Coordinator and the MLVFD Fire Chief. The project was completed using the following phased approach: Phase 1: Data Review and Scoping  Met with CVRD Project Manager and Fire Rescue Services Coordinator, Jason deJong to review the details of the project.  Reviewed CVRD mission, vision, values, strategic priorities, cross functional processes and systems, structure and reporting relationships between the CVRD and nine electoral areas and four municipalities with a specific focus on MLVFD, Honeymoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department (HBVFD) and the Town of Lake Cowichan Volunteer Fire Department (LCVFD).  Conducted desktop review of available data: o Existing infrastructure, equipment, and apparatus o Response statistics o Fire prevention, Inspections and Public Education Programs o Planning issues and growth projections o Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping data o Staffing lists, including hiring practices, training, and turnover factors o Previous fire service and facilities studies and/or recommendations  Reviewed current legislation, fire services mandate, empowering bylaws, and recognized industry standards Phase 2: Data Collection and Stakeholder Interviews

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 Identified stakeholders and conducted interviews to identify risks and resources within the study area and to gauge operational readiness and effectiveness  Identified current level of protection and available resources o Current inventory and maintenance of response equipment o Operational regulations, standard operating guidelines/procedures, job performance requirements, and response practices o Current training system, effectiveness, and compliance with recognized industry standards o Fire prevention and education activities, in terms of the approach to current hazards, inspection frequency, and degree to which fire prevention activities are focused appropriately  Evaluate the accuracy of data collected and their relevance to the study Phase 3: Community Risk Assessment  Conducted a demographic analysis and needs assessment of current and future emergency response requirements for the community over the next 5-10 years  Conducted a comprehensive comparison of comparable communities, including operating models, fire service operations, equipment, staffing, response statistics and budgets for fire departments in those communities  Identified constraints/barriers/pressures preventing effective and efficient operation of services and programs Phase 4: Risk and Gap Analysis  Used data and community risk assessment to conduct a Gap and Risk Analysis within the study area  Identified both current and future fire service deficiencies based on gaps between current service capacity and identified risks

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Phase 5: Emergency Response Recommendations  Reviewed fire service resources from a risk management perspective to determine staffing and resource requirements based on historical emergency timelines and response data  Evaluated inter-municipal agreements and identify where improvements in coordination and synergies can be made, including all partnerships, amalgamations, mutual aid, fee- for-service agreements/contracts or other legally binding agreements  Explored other innovative options such as partnerships  Provide recommendations for appropriate strategic goals and objectives to guide further development of the emergency response services for the community of Mesachie Lake  Reviewed and recommend key performance indicators and optimum service levels to maximize overall efficiencies and effectiveness of operations  Reviewed the current fire station and make recommendations on overall requirements based on current and future population, community risk factors, and options for service delivery  Assessed the impact of the recommendations  Established rough budget for future needs, including operating expenses, capital investments, maintenance costs, and short-term and long-term options  Developed priorities based on budgets, agreements, and safety levels

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SECTION 2 COMMUNITY OVERVIEW AND RISK

2.1 Community Profile The following community profile information has been assembled by collecting available mapping data, reviewing municipal reports and plans, and conducting site visits in the community. 2.1.1 Geography Mesachie Lake lies on the south shore of Cowichan Lake. It’s approximately 5 kilometers west of the Town of Cowichan Lake and approximately 4 kilometers east of the community of Honeymoon Bay. Mesachie Lake is surrounded by old growth forests, farmlands, mountains, valleys and lakes. Situated on the Pacific Marine Circle Route, Mesachie Lake receives peak tourism travel during the summer months from June to September. Mesachie Lake covers an area of approximately 2.67km2 of primarily a wooded residential neighborhood center. Mesachie Lake was a planned community that was constructed in 1942 to provide homes and a community for mill workers. The mill shut down in 1968 and there is now a large Christian camp on the site of the old mill. In addition Mesachie Lake is the location of the BC Forest Cowichan Lake Research Station. This is a large forestry research facility consisting of several bunkhouses, offices, and other amenities. The station also has a conference centre, large greenhouses and tracks of forest-research specific land. Beaver Lake Resort is an 11 acre camping and RV facility located approximately 2 kilometers east of the community with patrons being primarily supported by the Town of Lake Cowichan’s businesses and services. Mesachie Lake does not have any amenities to attract visitors other than community events like baseball tournaments and events hosted at the community hall. Despite the location in a primary tourism location and a commercial and industrial transportation route, Mesachie Lake remains a vibrant and quiet community.

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2.1.2 Economy Mesachie Lake is primarily a residential community where there are a few small local businesses. According to the 2016 Canadian Census the majority of the residents are employed in the sales and service occupation, trades, transportation and equipment operators, natural resources, agriculture, and management and business sectors. 2.1.3 Population, Growth and Community Demographics The 2016 Canadian Census data combines Mesachie Lake and Honeymoon Bay in the determination of the current population of this area. In 2016 this combined area had a population of 561 which has decreased since the 2011 Census by 19 people. Based on 95 residences in Mesachie Lake and the average household containing 2.1 people, the estimated population of Mesachie Lake is considered to be 200 people. Mesachie Lake is predominantly a residential community with the larger percentage of the population between the ages of 15 to 64 years (65.5%). Within this cohort the largest grouping is the 60-64 years range. The second largest cohort is the grouping of 65 years and over (25.7%). In determining risks for a community, demographics profiles are important to consider. Human failing including the elderly, infants and people of diminished capacity are a significant contributing factor in residential fires. In BC during the period 2005-2014, human failing was identified as the leading contributing factor resulting in 49% of residential fires. Human failing refers to where the act or omission was due to a person/persons: being asleep or fatigued at the time of the fire; having temporary loss of judgement; having a physical or mental disability; being impaired by alcohol, drugs or medication; having an accident; being distracted or preoccupied. It also includes factors of age where an infant, young child or elderly person was unattended or unsupervised.1 2.1.3.1 Rate of Growth By all indications from the data presented in the 2011 and 2016 Canada Census, Mesachie Lake is overall a stable community with only a subtle population decrease. Information from the CVRD does not include any significant developments over the next interim period of 5-10 years. The Official Community Plan (OCP) for Electoral Area F is scheduled to be updated however the following excerpt applies: The plan area has had an annual average growth rate of -0.17% over the twenty-five year period from 1991 to 2016, compared with a 6.4% average growth rate in the greater Cowichan Valley Regional District. The population of the plan area is predominately older with over half of the area’s population over the age of 45. The largest segment of the plan area’s population is between the ages of 50 and 64, representing over one third of the area’s population. The 5-year trend calculation in Area F would result in a decrease of 187 people between 2016 and 2041. The 10-year trend would translate into a decrease of 279, and the 25-year trend would result in an increase of 30 people, which would represent a very low 0.4% average annual growth rate. However, taking into account the potential for a continued decline in the short to medium term (<10 years), as gains in economic diversification can take time to spread throughout the region; it would appear to be likely that a slow growth rate is realistic.2

1 http://nfidcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Fire-statistics-in-Canada-2005-to-2014.pdf 2 https://www.cvrd.bc.ca/DocumentCenter/View/81084

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2.2 Community Infrastructure Overview As previously indicated Mesachie Lake is predominately a residential community. Land/Occupancy use codes retrieved from BC Assessment provides the following infrastructure profile:  Residential – 95 (5 being seasonal dwellings and 1 being residential with a suite)  Commercial – 4 (includes Beaver Lake Resort)  Industrial – 2  Utility – 2  Park/Playing field – 1  Institutional – 4 (Camp Imadene 2, Fire Station and Community Hall) Residential structures are primarily combustible construction wood frame and clad older houses. There are still occupied houses that were disassembled and relocated from Sahtlam BC in 1942 with the move of the Hillcrest Lumber Company. 2.3 Community Risk Assessment Community risk assessment is a process used to identify the community’s inherent risks coupled with fire Risk Evaluation protection and other emergency service needs. All fire Two main areas must be departments should have a basic source of data and considered to evaluate the risk. information in order to logically and rationally define the The first is the existing risk based fire department’s mission. on calculable criteria or statistics. Conducting a risk assessment is the first step towards The second is identifying possible establishing an effective strategic plan and is intended future risks and a means of to identify information required by a local government evaluating to ensure that a (Regional District/Municipality/City etc.) to make situation can be mitigated to a informed decisions about protection, fire prevention and desired level. activities necessary to effectively manage community risk based upon local needs and circumstances. Every local government has common and unique challenges when it comes to the safety of its citizens. It is the unique challenges and the community’s identified risk tolerances that require every fire department to modify their structure and equipment to best serve the citizens. Regional Districts have a fundamental and legislative responsibility in conducting community risk assessments to provide effective public and private property protection. In general terms, needs and circumstances relate to a local government’s economic situation, geography, population, building profiles and service delivery system.

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2.3.1 Challenges Specific challenges that have a correlation with community risks include the following: a) Industrial b) Geography and topography c) Economic d) Rate of population growth in the community e) Demographics of the community f) Annexation of lands g) Transportation (i.e. Road, Rail, etc.) 2.3.2 Risk Management Risk management is the analysis of the chance of an event occurring and the resulting damage that could occur as a result of the event. Behr utilized the Risk Evaluation Matrix (See Figure 4, Pg. 16) to categorize risk using probability and consequence as a method of assigning risk to individual properties. All properties in Mesachie Lake can be reviewed and assigned to one of four different risk levels. The challenge in community risk management does not lie solely in the work necessary to assess the probabilities of an emergency event in a community, but in the political arena as well. It is the policymakers who will determine the level of service to be delivered to the area being served. 2.4 Risk Evaluation Matrix The evaluation of fire risks must take into account the frequency and severity of fires and other significant incidents. Determining risk by analyzing past statistical information and projected growth is essential to the development of an appropriate level of service. The risk assessment can be divided into four quadrants, which pose different requirements for commitment of resources in each area (See Figure 2, p.5). Distribution is the number of resources placed throughout the community. Concentration is the number of resources needed in a given area within the community. Concentration varies depending on many factors including the number of incidents or calls for service, the risk factors of the area, and the availability, reliability, and time of arrival of additional responding units or Departments in close proximity. Decision makers and fire service management must understand the relationships between probability and consequence and the community’s adopted service level goals to determine the needed concentration and distribution of both emergency, prevention and response resources. The challenge for the community will be to fund the proper balance between prevention and response services for the distribution and concentration of resources needed based on Mesachie Lake’s community profile and risk factors.

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2.5 Structural Risk Analysis The fire protection planning process includes a detailed review of frequency of events, potential loss, and consequence of the loss. One important concept of the risk assessment process includes the inventory and tracking of all large high risk buildings or industries within a community. This inventory is then evaluated on the probability/consequence matrix to assist in determining the type of risk and types of prevention and mitigation needed if an event would occur. Spending large amounts of time and resources to solve a problem or risk that is low frequency will have limited impact and minimal improvements to community safety. Because the distribution of resources and capacity are limited, it becomes critical to manage any additional risk by careful planning and alternative solutions. Buildings of a larger scale or special demands such as schools, recreation centres and senior’s homes must be evaluated and engineered to meet not only the building and fire codes but the expected response available. As new commercial and industrial buildings are added to the inventory, it is important that the fire department has an opportunity to review and evaluate the impact and make recommendations on options to mitigate any new risks early in the planning process. Part of the processes to quantify risk within the area would include the categorization of the various low, moderate and high risk structures by utilizing the risk evaluation model. The criteria used to determine the risk category by structures is identified in Section 1.11 of this report. It is based on the probability of an emergency occurring in a specific structure and the consequence of such an emergency in terms of impact. Based on the data provided by the CVRD a risk categorization profile for Mesachie Lake would be as indicated below: Table 11: Structure Risk Level

Number of % of Risk Sources Units Total Vacant Lands (urban and rural park land, residential lots and privately owned agricultural land), parks, residential green space Low - - and urban interface. Risk level varies on time of year, terrain, fuel density and slope. Moderate 95 88% Residential Structures/Units Structure Classes, as per BC Building and Fire Code Major Occupancy Classifications A (assembly) B (institutional) High 13 12% D (business) E (mercantile), F1 (high hazard industrial) F2 (medium hazard industrial) F3 (low hazard industrial)

Note: The typical distribution of moderate and high risk structures is approximately a 90 percent moderate to 10 percent high risk in communities the size and profile of Mesachie Lake. Low risk inventory data was not provided by CVRD and is deemed not required as this category represents a low percentage and risk potential within the community boundaries.

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This following risk assessment matrix criterion has been developed from several existing tools such as the Commission of Fire Accreditation International3 and the NFPA. Using the basic probability consequence risk matrix as the foundation to weighting each individual property to the risk to life and property loss will give the overall level of risk. Figure 1: Estimated Structures Risk Level

Structures Risk Level

12%

Moderate (95) High (13) 88%

2.6 Risk Evaluation Matrix Figure 2: Risk Evaluation Matrix Probability - Consequence Matrix

Figure 1: Risk Evaluation Matrix Different quadrants of the risk matrix require different response requirements. The four possible relationships between structures or conditions and the distribution

PROBABILITY of resources can be defined as follows:

CONSEQUENCE

Probability – The likelihood that a particular event will occur within a given time period. An event that occurs daily is highly probable. An event that occurs only once a century is very unlikely. Probability then is an estimate of how often an event will occur.

3www.publicsafetyexcellence.org

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Consequence – There are three primary components when considering possible consequences:  Life Safety (including incidents that risk the lives of occupants, and the lives of responding personnel, and the amount of personnel and equipment required to rescue or protect the lives of occupants from life‐threatening situations which include: fire, hazmat, medical, motor vehicle accidents, extreme weather, flooding and all types of rescue situations).  Economic Impact (the losses of properties, income, or irreplaceable assets)  Environmental Impact (consequences include the risk of irreplaceable or long term damage to the environment). Other consequences such as impact to the community (the loss of historic buildings, recreation facilities or community infrastructure) are identified but do not impact resource deployment. Table 2: Risk Probability and Consequence Low Risk = Low Probability and Low Consequence This category is limited to areas or incidents which are defined as having a low probability of fire risk and low consequence for the potential of economic loss or loss of life. Some examples are vacant land, parks without structures, and isolated structures such as sheds. In addition to low fire risk, other responses would include:  Outdoor fire pits  Lightning strike non‐structure Moderate Risk = High Probability and Low Consequence The majority of responses fall under this category. This includes miscellaneous explosions, standbys, smoke, odours, garbage fires, detached garages, single or multi‐family residential fires and small non‐residential buildings less than 600 square meters.  Motor Vehicle Collisions  Spill clean-up  Carbon Monoxide detection  Emergency medical co-response (FMR)  Monitoring/local alarms  Vehicle fires  Hazmat incidents with small quantities of a known product (20 litres or less), outdoor odours (natural gas or unknown) High Risk = Low Probability and High Consequence There are very few properties that are considered low probability, high consequence. These properties can be categorized as large properties, over 600 square meters, without adequate built‐in fire protection systems, that have large concentrations of people or have a significant impact on the local economy.  Commercial, industrial warehouse, midsize residential, etc.  Hazmat incidents with large quantities of known products (75 litres or more), unknown products or large exposure Maximum Risk = High Probability and High Consequence This category of risk can be generally categorized as properties over 600 square meters that have high economic value in the form of employment or are not easily replaceable, or natural disasters occurring in highly populated areas, creating high life and property loss potential and strains on department and other agency resources. Damage to properties in this category could result in temporary job loss or permanent closure of the business. Such properties are highly regulated or possess built‐in fire protection systems.  Wildland/Forest Fires

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2.6.1 Community Risk Analysis Overview The majority of risks within the community of Mesachie Lake are deemed to be moderate risks given the analysis from the following sources: census data, demographics, community profile, industrial, economical profiles and response statistics. Comparatively this assessment is considered typical of a small residential community with similar characteristics. There are 3 overarching community risk factors within Mesachie Lake that requires additional consideration:4  Urban Wildland interface within the community boundaries  Mesachie Lake is located in an Extreme Wildfire Hazard interface area  Motor Vehicle Incidents (MVI) and hazardous material response vehicle incidents occurring on Pacific Marine Route Observation #1: Wildland Interface The community of Mesachie Lake is very picturesque with shaded streetscapes and ample greenery within a densely wooded neighborhood centre. This combined with narrow lanes/roadways and closely sited wood frame/clad houses presents an increased risk for fires that extend beyond the building of origin. In this situation the urban wildland interface will significantly (depending upon time of year) contribute to fire spread to adjacent structures, properties and wooded areas. The latter is particularly crucial given that the community is located in a high to extreme wildfire interface area. In BC 48% of all wildfires are caused by human activity. A concerted effort to prevent fires within the community must be undertaken by the residents with support from CVRD. Recommendation #1: CVRD and Mesachie Lake smoke alarm campaign to ensure all residences are protected with a functioning smoke alarm as part of Wildland fire prevention within the Community It is recommended that CVRD and Mesachie Lake conduct an annual working smoke alarm campaign to ensure all residences are protected with a functioning smoke alarm. To minimize the loss of life and/or property in a residential fire, early detection is the best mitigation measure. Working smoke alarms provide an effective early detection to evacuate the residence and alert/initiate the emergency response. Early detection also contributes to the fire department’s opportunity to confine/suppress the fire to the room or building of origin and reduce fire extension into adjacent structures or wooded areas. It is recommended that CVRD places a concerted effort on a FireSmart program for all neighborhoods and communities. This program should include the achievement of becoming a recognized FireSmart Community District. Similarly, the best protection against loss damage or injury due to wildfire is prevention. In the last 5 years BC and Alberta have endured catastrophic losses due to wildfire. Entire communities have been obliterated. Attached as Appendix E is the BC Edition of the Home Owners FireSmart Manual. 5 This manual provides complete information/guidance on how to significantly reduce the risk and effects of wildfires

4 https://www.cvrd.bc.ca/DocumentCenter/View/67026 5https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/public-safety-and-emergency-services/emergency-preparedness-response- recovery/embc/preparedbc/homeowner-firesmart.pdf

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around individual homes and communities. FireSmart Canada offers recognition (grants) for Municipalities and Districts that become certified as FireSmart Communities. Observation #2: Extreme Wildfire Interface Living in BC near a forested region will eventually lead to contending with the spread of wildfire. The 2017 BC Fire Storm serves to emphasize this fact. CVRD has an active Emergency Management Program and it’s crucial to continue to expand and enhance this program. Maintaining close working relationships with local and provincial emergency response agencies is a key aspect to a successful emergency management program. Recommendation #2: Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) enhancements to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery It is recommended that upon completion of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) that enhancement to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery is undertaken. In addition staff training, exercises and public awareness/education be conducted. At the time this report was being written CVRD was in the final stages of updating the CWPP. In addition to conducting extensive prevention measures within each CVRD community it is equally important to be prepared from an emergency management perspective.

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

SECTION 3 SERVICE DESCRIPTION AND SUSTAINABLITY

3.1 Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Overview As previously mentioned in this review the MLVFD has been in existence since the early 1950s as a volunteer service with no fulltime staff. During this period and up to the present, this organization has been a community fire service with a very strong community affiliation and support. A CVRD establishment Bylaw (No. 2086, dated November 12th, 1998) is the Regional District’s statute that created the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area and to establish the MLVFD to carry out the provision of fire protection and suppression and emergency assistance to the Local Service Area. Specifically the functions of the MLVFD are as follows (excerpt): The functions of the Department shall be to provide, in the Service Area (hereinafter defined) established in this Bylaw, and outside the Service Area as authorized by mutual aid agreement and as may be authorized by separate Agreement authorized by Bylaw of the Regional Board: a) fire prevention, including without limitation pre-fire planning, public education and training; b) fire suppression; and may also provide assistance, where qualified, in response to: (i) mutual aid to Fire Services including Ministry of Forests; (ii) rescue operations; (iii) extrication operations; (iv) first response medical emergencies; (v) first response hazardous material incidents; and (vi) public services. In February 2018, CVRD appointed a new Fire Chief, two newly promoted Fire Lieutenants and 11 firefighters with varying levels of training and experience. A cursory review was conducted on their training records and practice sessions and the general indication is that the MLVFD is an active department that is progressing with the CVRD’s core training policy. Since the beginning of 2018 the average attendance at the practice sessions is 7 firefighters. Observation #3 CVRD Volunteer Fire Rescue Services Level Policy In July 2017 the CVRD in accordance with the BC Fire Service Structural Firefighters Competency and Training Playbook declared MLVFD as Interior Operations as well as the other CVRD Volunteer Departments. This policy requires new firefighters to achieve the Interior Operations training level within 24 months. The prerequisite is to achieve Exterior Operations within this same time period. Interior firefighting is one of the most complex and dangerous operations that municipal fire departments undertake. In small communities like Mesachie Lake, structural fires requiring interior operations occur rarely. This infrequency combined with the hours of training/practice that volunteers can devote to interior operations

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review needs to be given due consideration. Response activities that are undertaken on a recurring basis require less training and practice compared to activities that are conducted very infrequently. Since CVRD declared that the volunteer fire services will be Interior Operations, the Fire Rescue Coordinator has received feedback indicating the challenges for their members to achieve this training standard within the policy timelines. Recommendation #3: Focus Training Competencies on Exterior Operations for MLVFD Given the above and upon review of the MLVFD response statistics over the last 3 years it is recommended that the provision within the Fire Rescue Policy be implemented that reduces the training level to Exterior Operations. This provides to opportunity for volunteers to become completely proficient with exterior operations before taking on a higher level service. This recommendation is intended to increase firefighter and public safety. A key aspect of this recommendation includes the annual smoke alarm campaign and enhanced FireSmart Programs. 3.1.1 Firehall To provide these services the MLVFD operates out of a small fire station (3000 sq. ft.) that was built in circ1940. In 2013 and 2017 CVRD conducted facility assessments on this station. These assessments focused on the building systems, structure, major components and building code compliance. Of the 37 separate items identified in the 2017 assessment the majority was deemed to be in very poor condition. In order to maintain the minimum Facility Condition Index (FCI). The formulas as follows: (FCI = $ Deferred Maintenance Costs (divided by) $ Asset Replacement Value). The CVRD would need to contribute approximately $10k per year over the next 5-10 years to meet the minimum FCI. This does not include a number of outstanding maintenance projects such as roof and siding replacement, barrier free accessibility, and shed/balcony replacement. An immediate priority was identified in the 2017 assessment to resurface floors and installation of a fire alarm system at approximately $59K. The 2017 assessment also recommends that if the CVRD designates this facility to be a post-disaster facility, a seismic and feasibility study would be required. The replacement value of this station was deemed to be $1,023,000. The facility condition assessments did not include a functional evaluation of the fire station. There are a number of key components functional standards that must be considered for an effective fire station. In terms of functional standards, the following are key components that should be considered for an efficient and functional fire station:

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Apparatus Bay Provide adequate room to store and safely maneuver apparatus in and out of the bay. Safely moving around the apparatus should also be consideration along with appropriate vehicle exhaust extraction or ventilation system. The firehall is equipped with a vehicle exhaust extraction system that has been approved by WorkSafe BC. The apparatus bay areas are not functional to provide a safe and operationally effective space for firefighters to don their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), maneuver around and board the engine.

Firefighter Staging and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Storage Area

An appropriate area where all the turnout gear is stored in one location to allow the crew to quickly and safely move in and out is critical. As indicated above the fire station bay areas are not large enough to provide adequate PPE storage

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Storage

Provide adequate room to store and safely maneuver apparatus in and out of the bay. Designating an area of the building for storage is recommended. As indicated below the current station is deficient for storage , maintenance and decontamination tasks

Maintenance A maintenance area that is separate from the washroom due to contamination issues. This is particularly true when storing cleaning supplies and agents. Laundry Facilities Equipping the facility with an industrial grade washer and dryer suitable for washing firefighting PPE is suggested. Washroom, Change Facilities, Decontamination Area A separate designated area for personal decontamination should be considered. This would consist of wash sink, antibacterial soaps, shower, bench and change area. The current storage and maintenance area is too small and not functional to perform maintenance and decontamination tasks. There are no suitable laundry facilities to clean or decontaminate PPE. Training and Fitness Area

Proper storage of training and library materials should be considered. Adequate fitness area within the station or an alternate fitness area to provide firefighters access for physical training requirements. There is a very basically equipped room in the Community Hall. There is no fitness area within the fire station.

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Kitchen It is assumed that the lounge and kitchen area of the fire station is utilized as a training room. This space is also used for community and social events.

Parking Enough parking should be available for the volunteers to park their vehicles and suitable turnaround space to safely maneuver apparatus must also be considered. There does not appear to be adequate space to accommodate the personal vehicles and outdoor space for the apparatus is very limited. It is acknowledged that some volunteers live within walking distance of the station and not require parking when responding or training.

Considering the age and assessed condition of the Mesachie Lake Fire Station, with the operational and functional deficiencies assessed by Behr, the long term operational, functional and facility condition, must be addressed to ensure a viable and safe emergency response service. Section 3 of this review outlines a number of options for the Community of Mesachie Lake and the CVRD to consider. These options range from maintain the status quo to a complete replacement of the fire station.

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

3.1.2 Fire Apparatus and Major Equipment The MLVFD is a well-equipped small community fire service. Response vehicles include a 1998 KME Engine and a 2003 Ford 6-pack crew cab diesel rescue vehicle. Below are the overall vehicle descriptions and major equipment inventory:

2003 Ford F-450, 6-pack cab, diesel

160-Gallon tank Power Saw Honda portable water pump Folding 18ft. ladder/work platform Foam gear Forestry hoses and nozzles with econo-hose 2 air-packs with 4 spare bottles Snuffer CAFS unit(water/foam/air pump) Auto extrication tools Generator First Responder gear and spine board Rope rescue gear and harnesses Front mount winch GPS navigation

1998 KME

500-gallon interior water tank 2500 gallon drop tank 1,100 ft. of 4 inch storz supply lines 1,100 ft. of 2-½ inch supply lines 150 ft. of 2-½ inch attack hose at the rear 300 ft. of 1-½ inch attack hose at the rear 2-250 ft. lengths of 1 ½ inch cross-lays Mid-mount 2-½ inch monitor Road control kit 5-horse power Honda pump 6500 watt Gas powered generator Assorted ladders. Foam capable either class "A" or "AFFF" 2 spot lights Power saw Sawzall recip saw Gas powered fan for venting 4 SCBA air packs all of, which are seat mounted Spare SCBA bottles First Responder equipment and spine board Air lift bags and extrication tools Jaws of Life Halmatro combi tool Assorted blocking

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

It is important to note that the rescue vehicle was purchased by the MLVFD Association through fund raising events and raffles in the community and BC gaming grants. Until recently this vehicle was licensed, insured, maintained and operated by the Association. The principle role of this rescue vehicle was to attend MVI’s on the Pacific Marine Circle Route (PMCR)6. The response statistic indicates that on average MLVFD responds to 2 MVIs on the highway per year. The annual gaming grant to the MLVFD Association covers approximately 60% of the operating costs with the remaining 40% coming from annual fund raising events and donations. The MLVFD Association does receive small remuneration from EMBC’s Road Rescue program for MVI responses on PMCR. In April 2018, the Association and the CVRD entered into a lease agreement for this vehicle and equipment. The CVRD’s intent was to take full control and liability for this vehicle and to allow usage by MLVFD/CVRD Firefighters for responses on the PMCR and in the fire protection area. The Association was not paying the $9,000 per-year liability insurance premium which was assumed to be included by the CVRD. Within an acceptable response time to the PMCR there are 3 rescue vehicles (LCVFD, MLVFD and HBVFD). Observation #4: CVRD Relationship with MLVFD Association The operational and administrative roles between the CVRD and MLVFD Association do not appear to be formally established resulting in a lack of clarity resulting in conflicts and a somewhat negative relationship. The CVRD is the legitimate authority when it comes to fire protection services. This includes establishing the core services and respective resources required to deliver the service. In contrast, the Association has the autonomy to conduct its business as it pertains to fund raising, community events and other activities as identified in the BC Cooperative Association Act and the MLVFD Association’s constitution and bylaws. There needs to be a formally established agreement between the CVRD and the MLVFD that delineates the respective roles, authority and responsibilities. Recommendation #4: Formal Agreement with Volunteer Firefighter Associations It is recommended that the CVRD negotiate formal agreements with any Volunteer firefighters associations within the Regional District’s fire departments. The MLVFD Association’s intent was/is completely commendable and until recently had not impacted the Mesachie Lake taxpayers. A more cohesive/coordinated needs assessment with the CVRD may have revealed other opportunities to enhance public safety and not duplicate service coverage. Replacement Lifecycles for Fire Department vehicles are proposed to be generally consistent with lifecycles recommended by the Fire Underwriter’s Survey (FUS) body reporting to the Canadian General Insurance (CGI). In addition to maintenance of a current fleet capable of reliably providing service, meeting insurance guidelines favourably impacts municipal insurance ratings.

6 https://www.lakecowichangazette.com/community/circle-route-safe-thanks-to-mesachie-fire-raffle/

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Table 3: Service Schedule for Fire Apparatus - Fire Insurance Grading Purposes

Apparatus Age Small Communities5 Major Cities 3 Medium Sized Cities 4 (Yrs.) and Rural Centres 0 – 15 First Line Duty First Line Duty First Line Duty 16-20 Reserve 2nd Line Duty First Line Duty No Credit in Grading No Credit in Grading 20-251 No Credit in Grading or or 2 Reserve 2nd Line Duty2 No Credit in Grading No Credit in Grading 26-291 No Credit in Grading or or Reserve2 Reserve2 30+ No Credit in Grading No Credit in Grading No Credit in Grading 1All listed fire apparatus 20 years of age and older are required to be service tested by recognized testing agency on an annual basis to be eligible for grading recognition (NFPA 1071). 2Exceptions to age status may be considered in a small to medium sized communities and rural centres conditionally, when apparatus condition is acceptable and apparatus successfully passes required testing. 3Major Cities are defined as an incorporated or unincorporated community that has:  a populated area (or multiple areas) with a density of at least 400 people per square kilometer; AND  a total population of 100,000 or greater. 4Medium Communities are defined as an incorporated or unincorporated community that has:  a populated area (or multiple areas) with a density of at least 200 people per square kilometer; AND/OR  a total population of 1,000 or greater. 5Small Communities are defined as an incorporated or unincorporated community that has:  no populated areas with densities that exceed 200 people per square kilometer; AND  does not have a total population in excess of 1,000.  Engines: 16-20 years frontline (FUS & NFPA), but can be reduced due to high usage  Rescue Truck: 15 years frontline (NFPA) but can be reduced due to high usage In addition the National Fire Protection Association Standard (NFPA) 1901: Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus recommends the following: D.1 General To maximize fire fighter capabilities and minimize risk of injuries, it is important that fire apparatus be equipped with the latest safety features and operating capabilities. In the last 10 to 15 years, much progress has been made in upgrading functional capabilities and improving the safety features of fire apparatus. Apparatus more than 15 years old might include only a few of the safety upgrades required by the recent editions of the NFPA fire department apparatus standards or the equivalent Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) standards. Because the changes, upgrades, and fine tuning to NFPA 1901 have been truly significant, especially in the area of safety, fire departments should seriously consider the value (or risk) to fire fighters of keeping fire apparatus more than 15 years old in first-line service. It is recommended that apparatus more than 15 years old that have been properly maintained and that are still in serviceable condition be placed in reserve status; be upgraded in accordance with NFPA 1912; and incorporate as many features as possible of the current fire apparatus

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

standard (See Section D.3). This will ensure that, while the apparatus might not totally comply with the current editions of the automotive fire apparatus standards, many of the improvements and upgrades required by the current editions of the standards are available to the fire fighters who use the apparatus. Apparatus that were not manufactured to the applicable NFPA fire apparatus standards or that are over 25 years old should be replaced. Observation #5: MLVFD Major Apparatus Serviceability Given the life cycle replacement recommendations above, both of MLVFD response vehicle are at, or close to the end of their reliable life cycle. The current CVRD transfer to capital reserves for the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area does not have sufficient funds to replace either vehicle. At the time of this review the capital reserve was $30,860. It is understood that the MLVFD members have been conducting the annual performance test on the fire engine. The annual test verifies if the fire pump and components, and the overall vehicle is performing to NFPA standards and the vehicle’s specifications. These tests are normally completed by a qualified Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT). Recommendation #5: Emergency Response Vehicle Life Cycle Condition Assessment In order to determine the remaining life cycle reliability of these response vehicles a complete condition assessment and NFPA performance test performed by a qualified EVT is recommended. Should the assessed condition of these vehicles be favorable due to low usage, it is possible to extend their service and not adversely affect the FUS insurance grading. Alternatively these vehicles may be subjected to a complete refurbishment to extend the life cycle. 3.2 Response Statistics Emergency response statistics provide a valuable source of information regarding current and projecting future trends for MLVFD. The types of calls and the resources employed to deal with those emergency responses provide the starting point to determine the day to day routine response resources. There are several basic categories of call types that have been identified through MLVFD historical call data. It is important to note that the call volume is very small with the average annual response of 21 calls for service. Emergency medical aid (FMR) is 65.6% of the total annual call volume. These events require a minimal number of staff who are trained and equipped with the appropriate tools and equipment to be safe and effective at completing their tasks. After reviewing the incident calls for Mesachie Lake for the period of 2015 - 2017, the majority of the calls fall into seven broad categories:  Emergency Medical Assistance (FMR)  MVIs  Public Assistance  Fires (all categories)  Mutual Aid  Rescue  Miscellaneous (smoke odors, alarms, burning complaints, etc.)

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Table 4: 2015-2017 Call Types – All Calls Mutual Year Medical MVI’s Assistance Fires Rescue Misc. Total Aid 2015 13 2 0 3 2 1 21 2016 13 1 2 1 1 3 21 2017 16 1 2 1 1 1 22 Total 42 3 1 7 4 2 5 64 3.2.1 First Medical Response Program The First Medical Responder (“FMR”) Program was created in July 1989 to address recommendations resulting from a report prepared by Chief Coroner Vince Cain. The primary objective of the FMR program is to improve the continuity of patient care provided throughout the Province for pre-hospital emergencies. By recognizing that police and fire department personnel are often available to assist patients prior to arrival of ambulance crew, basic life support training provides responders with knowledge and the capability to deal with critical situations involving airway, breathing and/or circulation concerns until higher levels of help can takeover. Even when the first responder is only able to comfort the patient and document initial findings, a difference can be observed. Approximately 278 BC Fire Services participate in this pre-hospital care program. The overall concept for fire services participating in FMR is to provide this service within the existing fire suppression response system capacity. In other words the costs to provide FMR are typically fuel, vehicle maintenance, consumable medical supplies and responder training and wages. While the FMR for the most part is a low cost, high value service local governments continually scrutinize this as an additional expense to offset the British Columbia Ambulance Service (BCAS) deficient response capacity. Alternatively the BCAS revised Resource Allocation Plan (RAP) amended a number of medical emergency classifications that do not require a FMR from the local fire service. FMR is intended for the high risk Delta and Echo highest acuity classification. The decision for local fire services to respond to lesser classified emergencies is left to the local authority. Applied to MLVFD, the FMR program should not be considered as the primary role to substantiate service levels, additional specialized vehicles and/or equipment. Participation in the FMR program is discretionary and within the authority of the CVRD. MLVFD participation in the FMR program is not critical given the response statistics and close proximity to alternative fire services such as Honeymoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department (HBVFD) that can provide an equitable level of service within acceptable risk tolerances. It is understood that this area is covered by only one ambulance and that it’s often deployed beyond the immediate response area. This issue is better resolved at the CVRD and BCEHS provincial level to increase service capacity if this area is determined to be underserved by BCAS. 3.2.2 Service Effectiveness and Effective Response Force (ERF) The components of service effectiveness are comprised of the intervention and response time sequence, the ERF, industry standards, staffing of emergency response vehicles, and critical tasks. For clarity the ERF is the minimum number of personnel that are required to manage an event and is necessary to minimize the loss of life and property as well as maintaining firefighter safety.

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

3.3 Industry Standards The most widely accepted standards for the fire service is NFPA. Several decades of research have resulted in NFPA establishing industry benchmarks for operation and firefighter safety. The use of industry standards, such as NFPA, does not limit a local government’s flexibility to develop levels of service based upon local conditions and economic realities. Rather, the use of these standards as a guide, along with WorkSafe BC’s interior structural firefighting regulation article 31.23 for interior firefighting, can allow CVRD to establish levels of service that optimize service delivery within its fire service budget requisitions while maintaining firefighter and public safety. NFPA has done considerable research in selecting the recommended standards and ensuring they reflect the primary value of life safety in emergency response. The NFPA’s Standard 1720: Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments provide clear performance standards for departments to ensure effective measurement and reporting of activities. Alternatively, most Canadian municipalities choose to develop a performance standard based on their specific risk factors, organizational capacity and economic conditions. This type of performance standard is acceptable as there is no legislated or regulated obligation for a community to have a fire service in BC. In this case, the responsibility to understand community expectations and to determine an appropriate level of investment in fire service rests with the CVRD Board. The NFPA sets standards for intervention time, and although these are not requirements they are widely accepted as industry best practices. They therefore provide a good standard by which departments can measure their performance and set targets. NFPA’s Standard 1720: provides as basis to evaluate the MLVFD’s service effectiveness. The table below is an excerpt from NFPA Standard 1720 that identifies the recommended minimum staff to respond (ERF) and response time based upon demand zone (fire protection area) and demographics. Table 5: Staffing and Response Time

Demand Zone Demographics Minimum Staff to Response Time Meets Objective (%) Respond (minutes) Urban Area >1000 people/mi2 15 9 90 Suburban Area 500-1000 people/mi2 10 10 80 Rural Area <500 people/mi2 6 14 80 Remote Area Travel distance >8 mi 4 Directly dependent on travel distance Special Risks Determined by AHJ Determined by AHJ AHJ based on risk - A jurisdiction can have more than one demand zone - Minimum staffing includes members responding from the AHJs department and automatic aid - Response time begins upon completion of the dispatch notification and ends at the time interval shown in the table This table also includes a percentile objective for volunteer services to meet the recommended standards. In the case of a suburban or remote area the objective would be to respond to all calls for service 80% of the time within 10 and 14 minutes respectively.

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

3.4 Intervention Time Intervention time is defined as the time between the fire department receiving notification of an emergency and commencing assistance at the scene of the emergency. Increased intervention time can have two important impacts on a landowner; increased loss in the event of an emergency and higher property insurance premiums. Table 6: Intervention Time Defined

Intervention Time Suburban: Population 500-100 people/mi2 Time Values Notification Intervention Time Discovery Emergency Call Dispatch Time Minimum Response Time Set-up Staffing Time Unknown 90 sec 10 600 sec @ 80% 120 sec Time indirectly manageable Time directly manageable Reflex time Response time begins upon completion of the dispatch notification and ends at the time interval shown in the table. Upon assembling the necessary resources at the emergency scene, the fire department shall have the capability to safely commence an initial attack within 2 minutes 90 percent of the time. Discovery: This is the time between the start of the emergency and when a person or an engineered system has detected the incident. Emergency Call: This is the period of time between discovery and the actual notification of emergency services. The initial call is taken at the 911 and Fire Dispatch Communication Centre in Nanaimo. Dispatch Time/Notification: This is the time required to extract the necessary information from the caller to allow the proper response to be initiated. The dispatcher identifies the correct fire location and initiates the dispatch by paging the appropriate fire station in the CVRD. Response and Travel Time: This is the time from when Dispatch notifies the volunteers by pager, until the first vehicle leaves the station and arrives on scene. NFPA 1720 establishes that response time begins upon completion of the dispatch notification and ends at the time interval shown in the Table 3 and when the assigned vehicle arrives on scene. For MLVFD this increment has been determined to be 10 minutes. Once a vehicle leaves the station, it must negotiate the best route between that point and the location of the emergency. Factors to consider for travel time are driver skill, weather, traffic, topography, road conditions and vehicle capabilities. Setup Time: This is the time it takes (on site) to evaluate the necessary actions, position the required resources, and commence the intervention. In the case of a fire, completing size- up, assigning the necessary tasks and deploying resources can provide delays on scene. A well-trained crew can minimize these delays while providing a safe, successful response. The recommended standard for this increment is 2 minutes.

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

The most variable portion of the total intervention time is the response travel time, which is primarily a function of the distance from the station to the incident, but is also influenced by a number of other factors, including but not limited to:  the layout and footprint of the community (route widths and alternatives)  impediments such as weather or time of day (traffic jam)  Transportation system (including roadways, bridges, underpasses, overpasses, railway, major highways, construction road surface, detours, etc.) 3.5 Effective Response Force In addition to the call volume statistics for MLVFD an analysis of the ERF was conducted. The initial response to an incident is currently averaging 2-3 firefighters. It must be noted that the data provided was difficult to obtain given the manner in which the CVRD obtains the response statistics from Nanaimo Dispatch and the level of granularity. Each response required the Fire Service Coordinator to manually review the Dispatcher’s notes; however the data provided is deemed to be an accurate representation of the current ERF. NFPA1720 recommends for volunteer fire services in a suburban area to have an ERF of 10 firefighters arriving on scene within 10 minutes of notification in 80% of all calls for service. As previously indicated MLVFD’s on scene average time is 10 minutes 30 seconds. WorkSafe BC regulations stipulate that if firefighters enter a structure fire’s hazardous atmosphere, a minimum of 2 must be together and there must be at least one firefighter outside to initiate a rescue if necessary. This does not include the operator of the fire pump who is integral to ensuring that the two interior firefighters have water to combat the fire and protect themselves. Essentially this means that the first arriving fire company is not legally able to perform entry into a single family house fire to perform a rescue unless 4 firefighters are on scene. The standard goes on to state that within 10 minutes of entry, an additional two member team must be available standing by outside to perform a firefighter rescue or the two member interior team must exit and abandon interior operations.

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Table 7: MLVFD Response Statistics ERF Date Call Type Enroute Initial # of Overall Comments (mins.) Fire Fighters Response Time (mins.) 3-Jun-16 Assistance 8 9 Sewer back up

11-Aug-16 Burning Complaint 0 0 Called in by Chief OS

19-Aug-16 Burning Complaint 4 5 Chief OS

14-Jul-17 Burning Complaint 2 1 13 Propane Fire - False Chimney Fire -- MA From H- 11-Dec-17 Fire - Other 10 11 Bay 16-Mar-16 Medical 10 23

19-Mar-16 Medical 2 7

25-May-16 Medical 4 6 Member direct & truck after

15-Jun-16 Medical 6 7

16-Jun-16 Medical 5 8 BCAS on -scene before

25-Jun-16 Medical 5 6 BCAS OS 16:02

29-Jun-16 Medical 2 4

25-Jul-16 Medical 5 11 BCAS OS 17:57

19-Aug-16 Medical 5 5 BCAS OS 13:30

2-Sep-16 Medical 7 8 BCAS OS 2:23

17-Oct-16 Medical 7 8 BCAS OS 6:22

27-Dec-16 Medical 10 11 Snowy conditions

3-Jan-17 Medical 2 2 3 BCAS OS 10:40 2-Feb-17 Medical 6 8 BCAS already OS

13-Feb-17 Medical 5 4 6

2-Apr-17 Medical 7 4 9 BCAS OS 15:24 16-Apr-17 Medical 1 FD cancelled before response

24-May-17 Medical 8 3 10 BCAS already OS 17-Jun-17 Medical 5 4 7

29-Jun-17 Medical 4 2 8

15-Aug-17 Medical 5 6

30-Aug-17 Medical 4 3 6 BCAS OS 11:24 29-Aug-17 Medical 6 3 8 Auto Launch OS 16:15 7-Sep-17 Medical 5 5

23-Oct-17 Medical 5 5 6 BCAS OS 20:47 28-Oct-17 Medical 7 3 9

11/Nov/17 Medical 6 17 BCAS OS 8:19

25-May-17 Mutual Aid 2 3 11 H-Bay Area (Hydro Line fire) 7-May-17 MVI 2 Not required to attend

30-Jul-16 Rescue 10 18 H-Bay Mutual Aid

11-Jan-17 Rescue 5 2 71

18-Jun-16 Structure Fire 3 7 AA from H-Bay

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

3.6 Critical Task Analysis A fire company is defined as the team of firefighters assigned to a fire apparatus. An April 2010 report issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology identifies the optimum number of members for a fire company for most effective operations over 22 essential fire ground tasks at a typical single family house fire. A four-member crew operating on a structure fire completed all the tasks on the fire ground (on average) seven minutes faster (nearly 30%) than the two-person crews. The four-person crews completed the same number of fire ground tasks (on average) 5.1 minutes faster (nearly 25%) than the three-person crews. On the medium-hazard residential structure fire, adding a fifth person to the crews did not decrease overall fire ground task times. However, it should be noted that the benefit of a five member crew was not documented. NFPA recommends that for a standard single house residential fire that a minimum 16 firefighters are required for a full alarm assignment. The tables below depict the typical critical tasks that need to be performed at the various MLVFD response types. Table 8: Low Risk (no exposures): Garbage, Vehicle – private, Grass, Investigate (external), Monitoring Alarm (w/o confirmation) Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Incident Command, safety, establish perimeter, Automatic aid from HBVFD Engine 4 pump operation, 2 FF with hand line, forcible on confirmed working fires entry, battery disconnect, product containment. Total Personnel 4 Table 9 Low Risk (no exposures): Shed, Detached Garage Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Incident Command, safety, establish Engine 4 perimeter, engine operation, 2 FF with hand line, forcible entry. Automatic aid from HBVFD 2nd Engine 4 Perimeter Control, safety, water supply, RIT. on confirmed working fires Total Personnel 8 Table 10: Moderate Risk (with exposures): Grass/Wildland Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Incident Command, safety, establish Engine and/or Rescue 4 perimeter, engine operation, two FF with hand line, brooms. Automatic aid from HBVFD Water Tender 2 Water Supply on confirmed working fires Deputy or Fire Chief 1 Total Personnel 7

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Table 11: Moderate Risk: Attached Garage, Single Family Residential (Detached/Duplex) Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Incident Command, safety, establishes Engine 4 perimeter, engine operation, forcible entry, search and rescue and/or suppression. Automatic aid from HBVFD 2nd Engine 4 Water supply, laddering, RIT. on confirmed working fires Mutual aid from North Ventilation, utilities, search and rescue and/or Ladder/Tower 4 Cowichan and/or Duncan suppression. required Overall Incident Command, safety, Deputy or Fire Chief 1 accountability, resource management. Total Personnel 13 Table 12: High Risk: Commercial, Industrial, Strip Mall, Warehouse Mid•rise Residential Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes First Officer assumes Incident Automatic aid from HBVFD Command and forms attack team with second on confirmed working fires Two Engines 8 officer and four FF. Two driver/pump operators establish exterior water connections, water supply, pump operation. HBVFD 2nd Engine or mutual aid from LCVFD 3rd Mutual aid from North 8 Primary Search and Rescue Engine/Ladder/Tower Cowichan and/or Duncan required

Overall Incident Command, safety, Consider recall of all off Deputy and Fire Chief 2 accountability, resource management. duty staff and activate EOC Total Personnel 18 Table 13: Moderate Risk: FMR Emergency, Vehicle vs. Pedestrian Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Incident Command, safety, patient assessment, Engine and/Rescue 4 CPR, AED, oxygen, patient packaging Total Personnel 4 Table 14: Moderate Risk: Motor Vehicle Crash (1•3 private vehicles) Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Incident command and size-up, safety, establish Engine 2 outer perimeter, pump operation, 2 FFs prepare hand line. Establish inner perimeter, triage patients, Rescue 2 patient care, extrication, patient packaging. Total Personnel 4

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Table 15 Moderate Risk: Surface Water, Swift Water or Ice Rescue Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Officer of first engine on scene assumes command, size up, scene safety and Engine 4 communications. 1 FF victim contact. 2 FFs shore rescue if possible or Safety team for water rescue team activity. Officer of rescue team is the sector officer, Rescue 2 supervise and safety. 3 FFs prepare equipment Automatic aid from HBVFD for rescue. Overall Incident Command, safety, Deputy or Fire Chief 1 accountability, resource management. Total Personnel 7 Table 16: Low Risk: Carbon Monoxide Alarm, small spill cleanup, investigates smell, needle removal. Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Incident Command, scene safety, establishes Engine 4 isolation perimeter, air monitoring, ventilation, or cleanup. Support Rescue 2 Cleanup or removal of hazard. Automatic aid from HBVFD Total Personnel up to 6 Table 17: Moderate Risk: Small Quantity (<20 ℓ) of known product (gasoline, antifreeze), open space natural gas smell or odour from unknown source. Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Site management and control identify Tasks follow Engine and/or Rescue 4 problem. 8 step process.  Hazard and risk evaluation  Selection of personal protective equipment Hazardous Materials  Information management and resource Mutual Aid or alternative response from 4 coordination response service alternate agency  Implement response objectives  Decontamination and clean-up operations  Terminate the incident Overall Incident Command, safety, Deputy or Fire Chief 1 accountability, resource management. Total Personnel 8

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Table18: Special Risk: Quantities (between 20 and 75 ℓ) of known product (gasoline, antifreeze), natural gas leak, indoor natural gas smell or odour. Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Tasks follow 8 step process. Two Engines 8  Site management and control Automatic aid from HBVFD  Identify problem  Selection of personal protective Hazardous Materials equipment Mutual Aid or alternative response from 4  Implement response objectives response service alternate agency  Decontamination and clean-up operations  Terminate the incident  Hazard and risk evaluation Consider CVRD EOC Deputy and Fire Chief 2  Information management and resource Activation coordination Total Personnel 14 Table 19: High Risk: Large Quantity (>75 ℓ) of known product, known hazardous product, unknown substance, large exposure, or train derailment. Initial Deployment No. FF Task Assignment Notes Tasks follow Two Engines 8  Site management and control 8 step process. Automatic aid from HBVFD  Identify problem Hazardous Materials  Selection of personal protective equipment Mutual Aid or alternative response from 4  Implement response objectives response service alternate agency  Terminate the incident Mutual aid from LCVFD & Rescues, ladder and 8  Decontamination and clean-up operations North Cowichan and/or tower Duncan required  Hazard and risk evaluation Deputy and Fire Chief 2  Information management and resource Activate CVRD EOC coordination Total Personnel +22 Observation #6: Mobilization (enroute) and Response Times The MLVFD mobilization (enroute) and response times of 5 minutes 30 seconds and 10 minutes 30 seconds respectively are very good for a small volunteer fire service. Contributing factors are the size of the fire protection area and that a number of the volunteers live in the community. The average ERF of 2-3 firefighters is problematic given the WorkSafe BC regulations for interior firefighting and the number of critical tasks required at a basic residential fire. In addition the normal types of calls that MLVFD responds to require no less than 4 firefighters on the initial deployment. It is understood that there is an automatic aid agreement with HBVFD and a mutual aid agreement with LCVFD that will provide a convergence of firefighters at a working fire or large event.

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Recommendation #6: Establish a minimum Effective Response Force (ERF) Policy As detailed in recommendation 3 and in addition to reducing the MLVFD service level to exterior operations it is further recommended that the CVRD establish a minimum enroute ERF for all initial response engine companies. This is to ensure the first arriving unit can safely perform the critical tasks required at a working fire or other typical calls for service. 3.7 Theoretical Response Time Response travel time is a product of the distance that must be traveled between the station and the incident. The more centrally located a station is in a community, and the more direct the travel routes between the stations and different parts of the community, the lower the theoretical response times will be from that fire station. Mesachie Lake’s fire station is centrally located within the community. The Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area is 2.67km2 or 1.03sq/mi with a population of approximately 200. Based upon NFPA 1720 this community would be categorized as rural area with a recommended response/travel time of 14 minutes from notification. Given the assessed risk factors identified in this review regarding wild fire interface it was considered prudent to examine 10 (suburban) and 12 (rural/suburban) minute response time standards. 3.7.1 Theoretical Response Maps The following theoretical response maps indicate MLVFD response capacity based upon 10 and 12 minute response time as specified by NFPA 1720. In addition, HBVFD and LCVFD response times of 10 and 12 minutes were analyzed to determine overlapping coverage or gaps in geographical coverage. NFPA is noted as an industry best practice guideline only, and not a requirement. Theoretical response mapping methodology is available in Appendix B.

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Map 1: Theoretical Response Map-10 minute-Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake, Lake Cowichan

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Map 2: Theoretical Response Map-12 minute-Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake, Lake Cowichan

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Map 3: Theoretical Response Map-10 & 12 minute-Honeymoon Bay

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Map 4: Theoretical Response Map-10 & 12 minute-Lake Cowichan

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Map 5: Theoretical Response Map-10 & 12 minute-Mesachie Lake

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These theoretical response maps indicate for both the 10 and 12 minute response time that there is considerable overlapping geographical coverage between MLVFD and HBVFD. These stations are 4.8kms apart. While the LCVFD is beyond the 12 minute response time to reach Mesachie Lake it is within a reasonable response distance of 8kms. Additionally, in terms of the Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS) and assessment of fire protection grading HBVFD and LCVFD are within 8kms of the community of Mesachie Lake. FUS provides data on public fire protection for fire insurance statistical work and underwriting purposes of subscribing insurance companies. This overlap in geographic response coverage prompted an analysis to the HBVFD and their response capacity. 3.7.2 Honeymoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department The HBVFD mobilization (enroute) and response times of 5 minutes 42 seconds and 9 minutes 42 seconds respectively are very good for a small volunteer fire service. The NFPA 1720 response time of 10 minutes is being consistently met by HBVFD. The average ERF of 3-4 firefighters while better than MLVFD is problematic given the WorkSafe BC regulations for interior firefighting and the number of critical tasks required at a basic residential fire. However, the mutual aid agreement with LCVFD has the resources to initiate a 2nd engine response to augment the initial response engine. Recommendation #6 applies to HBVFD that the CVRD establish a minimum enroute ERF for all initial response engine companies. This is to ensure the first arriving unit can safely perform the critical tasks required at a working fire or other typical calls for service. Table 20: HBVFD Response Statistics ERF Date Call Type Enroute Initial # of Fire Overall Response Comments (mins.) Fighters Time (mins.) 1-Jun-17 Alarms 9 10

20-May-17 Assistance 5 5 Out of area - no response

22-Jun-17 Assistance 1 1 Traffic - deceased animal

Burning 14-Jul-17 18 32 Location not certain Complaint Burning 16-Jul-17 No response - out of area Complaint Burning 2-Aug-17 1 2 6 Complaint Burning 6-Aug-17 1 1 6 Complaint 4-Jun-17 Bush fire 3 6 Outside district

8-Sep-17 Fire - other 8 9 Stove fire

26-Nov-17 Fire - other 7 4 8 Chimney fire 24-Jan-17 Medical 4 22

27-Jan-17 Medical 4 4 5 BCAS OS 18:14 30-Jan-17 Medical 5 3 6

4-Feb-17 Medical 5 3 7

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Date Call Type Enroute Initial # of Fire Overall Response Comments (mins.) Fighters Time (mins.) 5-Feb-17 Medical 1 3 6 BCAS OS 13:42 18-Feb-17 Medical 4 3 7 BCAS OS 15:10 22-Mar-17 Medical 7 7

13-Apr-17 Medical 7 4 9

15-Apr-17 Medical 5 3 6 BCAS OS 00:54 15-Apr-17 Medical 5 6 BCAS OS 17:19

5-Jun-17 Medical 7 3 9 BCAS OS 10:13 10-Jun-17 Medical 8 5 12

2-Jul-17 Medical 5 7 BCAS OS 20:04

9-Jul-17 Medical 7 4 9 BCAS OS 1:16 15-Jul-17 Medical 4 4 7 BCAS OS 12:30 16-Jul-17 Medical 5 4 7 BCAS OS 18:35 5-Aug-17 Medical 6 4 7 BCAS OS 14:21 Auto launch - BCAS OS 12-Aug-17 Medical 5 4 8 13:42 4-Sep-17 Medical 6 3 7

25-Sep-17 Medical 7 4 8

21-Oct-17 Medical 6 2 8 BCAS OS 1:40 25/Oct/17 Medical 5 3 8

27-Oct-17 Medical 6 3 14

3-Nov-17 Medical 6 2 7 BCAS OS 13:02 23-Nov-17 Medical 5 7

28-Nov-17 Medical 7 10

28-Nov-17 Medical 6 3 9

21-Apr-17 Mutual Aid 6 6 To Youbou Fire Dept.

23-Sep-17 Mutual Aid 5 2 11 Mesachie called for MA 15-Nov-17 Mutual Aid 12 2 47 Out of area PEP 4-Jun-17 MVI Caycuse area

24-Jul-17 MVI 1 8

No response - outside 15-Oct-17 MVI area Similarly to Mesachie Lake, the CVRD establishment Bylaw (No. 2085, dated December 6th, 1993) is the Regional District’s statute that created the Honeymoon Bay Fire Protection Local Service Area and to establish the HBVFD to carry out the provision of fire protection and suppression and emergency assistance to the Local Service Area. The response statistic for HBVFD indicates an average call volume of 43 responses per year with 64% as FMR. The HBVFD fire station was built in 1987 in good condition and functional for the intended use.

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The response vehicles are relatively new and well within the reliable life cycle for emergency response vehicles. There are currently 16 firefighters on staff at HBVFD. The theoretical response times of 10 and 12 minutes from the HBVFD suggests that there is a duplication of service with the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service area. Including LCVFD, there are 3 separate fire services within 11.9 km. There are duplicate services such as rescue vehicles for MVIs. Of particular note is that the MLVFD and HBVFD are 4.8kms apart and provide emergency response services to a total area of 5.15 km2 with a combined population of approximately 700 people. To put this into context, and as an example the Community of Union Bay has a fire protection area of 13.57 km2 with a population of 1185 that is protected by 1 volunteer fire department. There are numerous other examples of small communities with larger response areas and populations that are covered by 1 local volunteer service. Options and recommendations to address this duplication of service are presented in Section 3 of this review. 3.8 Community Comparable Comparing Mesachie Lakes’ fire service to that of similar communities is a good way to identify where its strengths and weaknesses are. Honeymoon Bay CVRD, Port Renfrew CRD, Ships Point (Comox Valley Regional District), and Swansea Point (Regional District of Columbia Shuswap) were selected as appropriate comparable, based on the sizes of their service areas and populations. There are two common challenges with small volunteer departments across BC and for that matter in Canada: sustainable funding and recruitment and retention. Sufficient funding to support and maintain a sustainable service level. These small fire services in addition to taxation revenues rely on grants, fund raising events, and donations to deliver emergency response services within the respective community. Capital and life cycle replacement costs are particularly challenging and usually results in the prolonged use of facilities and major equipment well beyond the reliable, functional and/or safe operation. MLVFD does not have the capital reserves available to replace the station and major equipment. This challenge is discussed further in Section 3 of this review. Recruitment and retention of volunteers is the 2nd greatest challenge with volunteer fire services. In small communities such as Mesachie Lake this is exacerbated given the limited population and that in general the majority of the volunteers do not work within the community. This impacts the volunteer’s available time to respond amidst work schedules and employer location. The time commitment required to develop and maintain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities combined with very low call volumes creates additional factors related to recruitment and retention. In general people that join volunteer fire services do so to serve their community and respond to emergencies. It’s challenging to keep the interest and motivation if calls for service are very infrequent. The following table summarizes the commonality amongst the comparative communities examined as part of this review.

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Table 21: Community Comparable Data

Community Service Fire Station Annual Budget Major Equipment #FF Call FPA/Pop Level Age/Condition Volume/year Honeymoon Interior Good Built in $188K 2000 GMC pick-up/rescue 16 Avg. 43 2.48 km2 Bay 1987 2010 Fort Garry Tender 65% FMR Approx. 2007 Rosenbauer Engine 500 17ft Boston Whaler 1988 Hub Rescue Port Renfrew Exterior Rebuilt within $150,370 Engine 1 – 2008-(Spartan 14 Numerous 8.69km2 (working last 10 years Furion/Rosenbauer) Medical (A&B) Approx. towards Engine 2 – International 200 Interior Cargostar/Hub, Summer Tender – International increases L1600/King with sport fishery Ships Point Interior No station $61,500 2013 E-1 Engine 19 Approx. 24 3.125 km2 vehicle garage 1998 Dodge Dakota 70% FMR 300 in built in 2006 Command Vehicle winter Forestry Trailer 1000 in summer Swansea Point Exterior Recent $71,968 (2008) 2010 Freightliner Eng., 18 Avg. 20-25 100 winter (working construction. 2012 Freightliner Tender, (6 recruits) 2000-3000 towards Multi use as 2014 F150 Command truck, Summer Interior) community & 2018 Utility trailer. 15.5 km2 drill hall Mesachie Lake Interior End of useful life $47,382 1997 KME Engine 14 Avg. 21 Approx. cycle. Built in Camp Imadene $6,000 per 2003 Ford F-450 65.6% FMR 200 1940s year donation Rescue/Forestry 2.67 km2 Est total:$53,382

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3.9 Levels of Service In this review we have identified a number of operational deficiencies that are impacting the MLVFD. This includes:  Wildland interface within the community of Mesachie Lake and surrounding areas risk factor:  MVI’s and hazardous material spill risk factor  Training challenges to meet BC Playbook competencies for interior operations  Condition, functional and operational deficiencies within the fire station building  Looming life cycle replacement of the major equipment  Insufficient funding to maintain current and future service levels  Low call volume  Safe and effective ERF challenges  Critical task shortfalls on routine calls for service  Overlapping coverage/service duplication with HBVFD, and  Recruitment and retention challenges It is extremely important to note that in light of these challenges/deficiencies, the members of the MLVFD contribute greatly to the safety of their community and provide the best possible service they can. Beyond emergency response services the MLVFD commitment to their community by conducting events, ball tournaments and other activities is highly valued by the community and results in very close emotional ties to the citizens. Any changes contemplated by the CVRD may be met with considerable resistance if the community of Mesachie Lake is not fully engaged with the direction and decisions regarding the future of their fire services. Beyond the operational issues identified above there is an overarching challenge for the CVRD and the Community of Mesachie Lake. The BC Community Charter provides regional district boards with authority to provide a local service within a part of the regional district. Furthermore this authority also provides a board with the opportunity to provide a service to a portion of the regional district and to recover all or some of the costs of the service from the taxpayers within the local service area. CVRD Bylaw No. 1895 - Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Establishment Bylaw, Section 4 establishes the following: The annual cost for the service will be recovered by the requisition of money under Section 823 to be collected by a property value tax levied and collected on the net taxable value of land and improvements in the service area under Section 825(1) of the Municipal Act. All costs related to fire protection within the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area must come from the taxpayers within the local service area. The following table details the current (2018) financial overview of Fire Protection-Mesachie Lake.

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Table 22: MLVFD Financial Overview

2018 Requisition Residential Tax Rate Capital Operation Annual Budget (per $100,000. Household) Reserve Reserve Historical Average/Estimate $47, 382 $111.99 $31,123 $25,011 $47,382 (Stat Limit: $71,003) Camp Imadene $6,000 per year donation Est total:$53,382 In order to maintain a safe and viable level of service for Mesachie Lake the MLVFD requires significant enhancements/investment. The rough order magnitude to build a new station and replace the emergency response vehicles is estimated to be $2.4 million. The CVRD would have to (with public assent) debenture borrow this from the Province and as detailed above, this amount would be amortized and recovered from the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Local Service Area. This would result in a significant residential tax rate increase. 3.10 Sustainable Service Options & Recommendations In order to establish a long term safe and sustainable level of service for Mesachie Lake the following options and recommendation are detailed for CVRD and the Community’s consideration: Option 1: Replace Fire Station and Major Equipment Complete replacement of fire station and major equipment and increase annual requisition to sustain MVLFD. The following are rough order of magnitude estimates:  Station: 1.5 million  Engine: 600-750K  Rescue: 200-250K  Annual budget requisition would be similar to Honeymoon Bay at 188K

Advantages Disadvantages  Addresses life cycle replacement of emergency  All costs to be recovered by taxpayers of local response vehicles service area  Addresses building condition deficiencies  Requires public assent to borrow capital  Addresses building functional and operational resource (referendum) issues  Increase taxation for fire protection  Mesachie Lake retains their fire service,  Overlapping coverage and duplication of community profile and MLVFD identity. services with HBVFD  Does not address ERF or critical task shortfall

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Cost Analysis New Station (1.5 m) debit cost $105,476 New Engine (750k) debit cost $52,737 Rescue truck (250k) debit cost $17,578 Requisition to run the dept. $188,000 Total requisition $363,791 Tax Rate $8.5987/$1000 Cost per $100,000 of residential property $859.87 Current Situation 2018 requisition $47,382 Cost per $100,000 of residential property $111.99 2018 MLVFD tax rate $1.1199/$1000 Result An increase in the tax rate of $7.4788 / 1000 assessed value Option #2: Rescind Mesachie Lake and Honeymoon Bay Fire Protection Local Services Areas and Establish an Integrated Local Service Area Integrate (through public assent) the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection and Honeymoon Bay Local Service Areas into 1 local service area. This would result in the elimination of the MLVFD and an alignment of the requisitions/residential tax for both communities. Mesachie Lake’s $47,382/1.33 combined with Honeymoon Bay’s $188/1.7408 could result in an adjusted combined rate for both communities.

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Advantages Disadvantages  Provide acceptable response for geographic  Requires public consultation for community of coverage and risk factors Mesachie Lake  Efficient and effective reduction of CVRD  Increase taxation for fire protection Mesachie emergency vehicle fleet. Reduction of 1 Lake redundant Engine & rescue (owned by MLVFD  Resistance and resignation from MLVFD Association) firefighters towards loss of community profile  Cost neutral and identity  Potential to assimilate some of MLVFD  Potential for political & community action at the firefighters loss of their community fire service.  Reduces long term capital and operational costs  Perceived degradation of service and increased of maintaining 2 separate fire services. life safety risks  Eliminates overlapping coverage and duplication  Potential for resistance from Honeymoon Bay of services community and HBVFD  Addresses MLVFD building condition deficiencies  Addresses MLVFD building functional and operational issues Section 332(3) of the LGA states that: A regional district service may be operated directly by the regional district or through another public authority, person or organization. Therefore the CVRD has the authority to provide a service through another organization (i.e. HBVFD). The argument could also be made that the CVRD is not providing a service through another organization given that HBVFD is a CVRD organization. It must be noted that any additional costs incurred by the HBVFD in responding to a call in the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Area would need to be billed in full to the Mesachie Lake Fire Protection Service Area. Honeymoon Bay Fire Suppression and Prevention Service Area

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Establishment Bylaw No. 1587 only gives authority to requisitioning for costs incurred in the Honeymoon Bay area Option #4: Extend CVRD Contracted Area with Town of Lake Cowichan Extend the CVRD contracted area with the Town of Lake Cowichan to include Mesachie Lake. This would result in the elimination of the MLVFD.

Advantages Disadvantages  Cost neutral  Life cycle replacement of emergency response  No community or political action and/or vehicles not addressed resistance  Potential increased liability issues for CVRD  Public assent not required regarding building condition, usage, and  MLVFD maintains community profile and identity deficiencies not addressed. This includes  Perception that community is adequately and functional and operational issues safely protected  Overlapping coverage and duplication of services with HBVFD  Does not address ERF or critical task shortfall  Potential Fire Underwriters insurance grading and WorkSafe BC implications 3.11 Preferred Option(s) and Recommendation To the largest extent possible this review utilized evidence based data, references, response statistics, industry leading practices and recommended standards, comparative communities and the fiscal/economic realities to develop potential options. Quantifying community risk factors for Mesachie Lake are somewhat subjective however Behr has the experience and expertise to make a highly competent assessment. In our opinion there are overlapping and duplicate service coverage between Mesachie Lake and Honeymoon Bay. In the absence of a complete Community engagement process conducted by the CVRD where the taxpayers may select an alternative option, the preferred options as recommended by Behr are either Option 2 or 3.

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SECTION 4 CONCLUSION

In creating this report, we analyzed a number of factors to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department. We looked at the operational and administrative aspects, as well as the community risk factors, growth and demographics, and economic realities. We reviewed MLVFD response data, its current facility and resources, and assessed the long term sustainability for the current service level. Our research and consultation with CVRD revealed there is a more efficient and effective option to provide a safe, viable and sustainable emergency response service for Mesachie Lake. Implementation of the recommendations outlined in this document will better position CVRD to facilitate this outcome, and enhance public safety with valued emergency services. The commitment, professionalism, and value to the Community contributed by members of the MLVFD are most noteworthy and this review does not undermine their credibility and dedication to Mesachie Lake and the CVRD community.

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APPENDIX ‘A’ ACRONYMS

BC British Columbia BCAS BC Ambulance Service BCERMS British Columbia Emergency Response Management System CVRD Cowichan Valley Regional District CWPP Community Wildfire Protection Plan EMBC Emergency Management British Columbia ERF Effective Response Force EVT Emergency Vehicle Technician FMR First Medical Response FUS Fire Underwriters Survey GIMVI Geographical Information Motor Vehicle Incidents GIS Geographic Information System HBVFD Honeymoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department IAFC International Association of Fire Chiefs LCVFD Lake Cowichan Volunteer Fire Department MLVFD Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department MVI Motor Vehicle Incident NFPA National Fire Protection Association PMCR Pacific Marine Circle Route

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APPENDIX ‘B’ THEORETICAL RESPONSE MAPPING METHODOLOGY

Response travel times are directly influenced by station location and can be varied based upon a cost/risk analysis and the development of performance targets. B.1 Base Data Layers Requested  Hydrology  Single Line Road/Transportation Network  Municipal Boundaries  Parks  Projection File  Orthophoto (GeoTIFF, Mr.SID), if available  Emergency Services Locations B.2 Data formats  Preference of ESRI Shapefiles B.3 Purpose of Files A. Hydrology i. Identifies needs for response to water locations (if dependant on a water response unit). ii. Locations of bridge crossings, which can convert to varying incidents, as MVC/MVA, spill contaminants, etc. iii. Assists in the definition of the map for locational awareness by others. iv. Completes the map. B. Single Line Road/Transportation Network i. Used to determine response times from emergency locations to determine a network based on road speeds. ii. Roads are created into a network for response. C. Municipal Boundaries i. Identifies the limits to response for mutual aid and responsibilities when overlaps occur within a response area. Also identifies sub areas for specific mapping and identification of municipal and regional response zones. Provides information for gap analysis for future state locations or refinement of locations. D. Parks i. Identifies the potential risk areas due to accessibility issues for tracts of land, as well as constraints and opportunities for new locational analysis for or against new stations within a regional district. Ability to determine development of new locations due to proximity. Parks are identified as local, regional, provincial, and national. E. Projection File

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i. To ensure that we have the same data set up as being used by the Regional District or Client’s measurements (both distance and time) and spatial location are correct when determining analysis. F. Orthophoto (GeoTIFF, Mr.SID), if available i. We typically do not use the ortho on the output maps, but the analysis sometimes needs clarification of what is on the ground, and we use it to quickly ground truth locations and information needed prior to asking clients for clarification, or to substantiate clarification of an area. ii. Is a nice to have, yet hard to use, as it takes up a lot of memory/space, and is difficult to ship/transfer. G. Emergency Services Locations i. Identifies the actual location rather than a theoretical location based on an address match to ensure that the data location is as correct as possible and no missed locations are identified on the initial running of the theoretical response times. ii. Locations may be moved from within a parcel to the front of the parcel whereby it touches the road network. Ensures the response from the station is captured. There are no corrections made to the movement of station to time, as it is typically within 50 metres. B.4 Theoretical Response Zone A. Assumptions i. NFPA 1720 was used as the basis for response time, unless determined by client/project. ii. Weather is average – no storms, rain, snow, etc. iii. Roadway segments contain a node/junction at intersections.  If not available, road network needs to be cleaned and fixed. iv. Roadways need to sometimes extend beyond some municipalities. v. Emergency responders are trained on response vehicles. vi. Response vehicles are in good condition. vii. Roads are dry and in good condition. viii. Left turns are not reduced by a time %. ix. Road speeds are provided by client, if not;  Road class table used to populate speeds based on road classification.  Road speeds are reduced from the posted sign, typically no more than 5%. o This is a blanket assumption to counteract other assumptions for a more ‘real-world’ responses. x. Traffic volume is average, there is no congestion, or there is a free flowing lane to be used. xi. Rail crossings are free to cross and do not impede response. xii. Time of day is based on an average time from 9 am – 9 pm. xiii. Opticoms (or similar product for traffic light manipulation) are present to allow for free moving response.

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xiv. Intersections of roads are not reduced (the roads are reduced from other project limits and averaged over time for generality of best fit). xv. School Zones are not adjusted, unless identified, and then changes to road net are made. B. Response Time i. Initially based on NFPA 1720 response standards ii. Response time includes:  Actual enroute times provided by CVRD.  On scene times provided by adding enroute to target on scene times of 10 and 12 minutes. B.5 Additional Analysis A. Out of Scope Analysis (needs further discussion with client) i. Transition from project to operationally based  Specific distance and travel  Based on time of day  Based on time of year  Call Volume  Call Types  Modeling  Scripting for batch work B. Data Availability i. When data is available from clients is detailed enough, it is used. ii. Not all data is detailed enough and assumptions are made. C. Analysis i. Additional analysis can be performed (as reduction of road speeds to an intersection).  For above example, identification of intersections can be complex, and data not always available.

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APPENDIX ‘C’ LIST OF FIGURES, MAPS, AND TABLES

Item Description Page Figures Figure 1 Estimated Structures Risk Level 12 Figure 2 Risk Evaluation Matrix 12 Maps Map 1 Theoretical Response Map-10 minute-Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake, Lake Cowichan 34 Map 2 Theoretical Response Map-12 minute-Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake, Lake Cowichan 35 Map 3 Theoretical Response Map-10 & 12 minute-Honeymoon Bay 36 Map 4 Theoretical Response Map-10 & 12 minute-Lake Cowichan 37 Map 5 Theoretical Response Map-10 & 12 minute-Mesachie Lake 38 Tables Table 1 Structure Risk Level 11 Table 2 Risk Probability and Consequence 13 Table 3 Service Schedule for Fire Apparatus - Fire Insurance Grading Purposes 23 Table 4 2015-2017 Call Types – All Calls 25 Table 5 Staffing and Response Time 26 Table 6 Intervention Time Defined 27 Table 7 MLVFD Response Statistics ERF 29 Table 8 Low Risk (no exposures): Garbage, Vehicle – private, Grass, Investigate (external), 30 Monitoring Alarm (w/o confirmation) Table 9 Low Risk (no exposures): Shed, Detached Garage 30 Table 10 Moderate Risk (with exposures): Grass/Wildland 30 Table 11 Moderate Risk: Attached Garage, Single Family Residential (Detached/Duplex) 31 Table 12 High Risk: Commercial, Industrial, Strip Mall, Warehouse Mid•rise Residential 31 Table 13 Moderate Risk: FMR Emergency, Vehicle vs. Pedestrian 31 Table 14 Moderate Risk: Motor Vehicle Crash (1•3 private vehicles) 31 Table 15 Moderate Risk: Surface Water, Swift Water or Ice Rescue 32 Table 16 Low Risk: Carbon Monoxide Alarm, small spill cleanup, investigates smell, needle 32 removal. Table 17 Moderate Risk: Small Quantity (<20 ℓ) of known product (gasoline, anti‐freeze), open 32 space natural gas smell or odour from unknown source. Table 18 Special Risk: Quantities (between 20 and 75 ℓ) of known product (gasoline, anti‐freeze), 33 natural gas leak, indoor natural gas smell or odour. Table 19 High Risk: Large Quantity (>75 ℓ) of known product, known hazardous product, 33 unknown substance, large exposure, or train derailment. Table 20 HBVFD Response Statistics ERF 40 Table 21 Community Comparable Data 43 Table 22 MLVFD Financial Overview 45

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APPENDIX ‘D’ PRESENTATION

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

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Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 61 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 62 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 63 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 64 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 65 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 66 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 67 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 68 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 69 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 70 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 71 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 72 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 73 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 74 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 75 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 76 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 77 May 9, 2018

Cowichan Valley Regional District Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department Third-Party Review

Report Page 78 May 9, 2018