New Engine 31 (photo contributed)
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Westside Fire and Rescue
Contributed by Debbie Dupasquier
Westside Fire/Rescue (WFR) serves the residents of the Westside from the bridge to Seclusion Bay. We also respond to MVAs on the Connector. WFR has 4 fire halls and an administration building. The fire halls are located in Glenrosa (station 34) at 3399 Gates Rd., Westbank (station 31) at 3651 Old Okanagan Hwy., Lakeview Heights (station 32) at 2708 Olalla Rd., and West Kelowna (station 33) at 1805 Westlake Rd.. The administration building is at 525 Hwy 97S at Westside Road. The Fire Chief, Wayne Schnitzler , Administrator, Kelly Wilson, and Public Fire/Life Safety Educator, Debbie Dupasquier, are at this location.
WFR is a composite fire department, comprised of both full time and paid on call fire fighters. We currently have 7 full time fire fighters stationed at the main Westbank fire hall. They provide 24 hour coverage and respond to calls throughout the whole district. Also at the main hall are the Assistant Chiefs; A/C Craig Weddell, fire prevention and A/C Brian Livingstone, training. We will be adding 9 more full time fire fighters to the main hall this summer, 2006. The main hall also has paid on call fire fighters, including 3-4 who reside at the hall.
The three other fire halls are manned solely by paid on call fire fighters, who respond to calls from home when their pager is activated. The department currently has 66 paid on call firefighters, who train weekly on Tuesday evenings.
We respond to a number of different calls including: fires (structure, chimney, container, vehicle, bush/grass), wildfires, MVAs, sometimes requiring extrication, First Medical Response (assisting EHS), gas smell or leak, fuel spill or leak, hazmat, wires down, alarms, burning complaints, campfires/bonfires, and public service (CO2, flooding).
The department currently has 13 vehicles. At station 31: Engine 31, 2005 Spartan, 500 gallon (g) Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS); Tender 31, 1998 Freightliner, 2500 g; Rescue 31, 2003 Freightliner, 300 g CAFS, extrication equipment. At station 32: Engine 32, 1999 Freightliner, 500 g CAFS; Pump 32, 1993 Peterbilt, 800 g. At station 33: Engine 33, 1995 Freightliner, 1000 g CAFS; Pump 33, 1990 Ford, 800 g. At Station 34: Engine 34, 1994 Freightliner, 500g; Squad 34, 1999 Ford F550, 300 g CAFS; Pump 34, 1980 International, 500 g. The Public Education vehicle is a 2001 Volkswagen Beetle; the Chief’s vehicle is a 2003 Ford F-150, and the Duty Chief’s vehicle (Command Unit) is a 2006 Yukon.
WFR firefighters are trained in a number of areas on a regular basis. The training includes: hose deployment and handling of hose/nozzles; dressing hydrants; self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) use and maintenance; ventilation; use of ropes and knots; ladders; use of hand tools and power tools; pumping; driving; First Responder; extrication; forcible entry; overhaul; live fire scenarios; electrical and gas safety; and brush/grass fire and wildfire training.
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Fun and frolic from the antique engine at
the Westside Daze parade 2006
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Prevention and planning are a priority for WFR. The fire fighters prepare maps of the response area and develop preincident plans for public buildings, such as schools, care homes, and apartment blocks. Having this information prior to arriving on scene increases our response time. The fire fighters also conduct inspections of public buildings on a regular basis, looking for things such as working smoke alarms/alarm systems, clear exits, working fire extinguishers, working emergency lighting and sprinkler systems.
Public education is a main component of prevention. WFR has had a Public Educator since Apr., 2004. The role encompasses several components including: updating the website, public service announcements, hall tours, fire safety presentations, juvenile firesetters program, Fire Prevention Week, Burn Awareness Week, car seat safety checks and clinics, Community Smoke Alarm campaigns, FireSmart, fire extinguisher training, attending community events, public information, career days, and working with the media for department exposure.
Please check our website for more information at westsidefirerescue.com. The Public Educator can be reached at 768-5616 ext. 5 or at debbie.dupasquier@cord.bc.ca.
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