August Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

The August long weekend is always our busiest, so we thought we’d up the ante by adding a pancake breakfast to the mix. Staying true to predictions, we had 6 calls in the 24 hours leading up to the breakfast. The last of these calls finished at 3AM, just 3 hours before having to get up to prep.HIFR's first pancake breakfast in 30 years

At 8:50AM there were people lined up for pancakes, bacon, coffee, blueberries, and juice. And even as we started to dismantle the stoves at noon, there were still stragglers rolling through.
The breakfast was to raise funds for a thermal imaging camera, and the proceeds from the breakfast – $4100 – almost covers it. The balance will come from the Fire Department’s operations budget and a donation from the firefighters’ volunteer fund.

Tony Law flipping cakes.

So many people helped us put on this event and I’ll list them at the end of the page, but I have to acknowledge Chief Giff LaRose for his vision and tireless efforts to make it happen. Well done, Chief!

  • Larry and Margit from Little Tribune Winery, who made a very generous contribution of boxes of organic blueberries,
  • Dale Armstrong of Hornby Island Coffee provided some great coffee,
  • Denman Island Fire Department lent us all their grilling equipment and gave us a wealth of information gleaned from their 30-year tradition of doing these breakfasts,
  • All sorts of people from the community who stepped up to help out: spouses and families of HIFR, members of the  the RCMP, the fire committee, Islands Trust reps, and the fire department members themselves.

Thank you to everyone who came or made a donation. It was a fantastic event!

Sparky the fire dog meets the kids

Complete fire ban in effect on Hornby Island

The Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations has announced that effective at 12 noon on Thursday, August 1, 2013, all open fires, including campfires are banned in the Coastal area, which includes Hornby Island. Pursuant to Bylaw 2732, the ban is in effect on Hornby Island until further notice.

To see the current information issued by the Ministry please refer to this link: http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/Bans.asp

 

 

 

Pancake Breakfast

HIFR is holding a pancake breakfast on Sunday, August 4th from 9am until noon. We’ll be serving pancakes with blueberries, syrup, bacon, veggie links, coffee, and juice. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for kids under 12.

This is a fundraiser to enable us to buy a thermal imaging camera. We’ll have the camera at the breakfast so you can try it out. Come see the celebrity pancake flippers, meet your firefighters, tour the hall, check put the trucks, and enjoy a great breakfast. See you at the firehall.

Water Shuttle Timings

Achieving the “Superior Tanker Shuttle Accreditation” is one of our priorities. It’s a long process, though, involving new apparatus, complicated calculations, and a tonne of practice. The idea is that if the department can show that we can deliver sufficient water to pump a constant 200 gallons every minute for a full 2 hours to any location on island every household gets a massive saving on their insurance bill. It would be as though you lived on the same block as a fire hydrant.

Last night we completed a small but important step in achieving this goal.  We did a full 2 hour cycle of delivering water to prove our calculations were in the ballpark, and they were! We still have a lot of work to do in building the new firehall, designing and purchasing the second tanker truck, recruiting and training new drivers/pump operators, and successfully challenging the Underwriters’ demanding test.

Thank you to everyone on our route that put up with seven trips of our water tanker past their front yard. If you have any questions about this process or what it might mean to you, please call the firehall at 335.2611. Also feel free to stop Deputy Doug Chinnery or Chief Giff LaRose when you see them out and about. We love to talk about it.

Fantastic work by HIFR crew

Tonight we were called to an accident where a worker fell off of a three storey house while working on the roof. Our crew of seven did a magnificent job of packaging him on a spine board while stabilizing some other injuries and getting him out to our ambulance. Another HIFR member secured the airstrip and prepared for the incoming helicopter.

When the call came in, BC Ambulance launched their helicopter from Vancouver and we met them at the airstrip and transferred him to their extremely capable hands. He was stable and alert upon handover and under better circumstances would have enjoyed his exciting helicopter ride to Victoria.

Firehall Renewal Project Coordinator

We are pleased to announce that Tor Nawrot has been hired by the Comox Valley RegionalDistrict as the Pre-Construction Coordinator for the fire hall renewal project. Tor, a resident of Hornby Island, will begin a unique community consultation process by hosting neighbourhood meetings in local homes to hear what Islanders are thinking about the new fire hall, answer questions and start a community dialogue on what we want to see in the new building.

Tor recently met with the local members of the Firehall Renewal Select Committee responsible for the firehall project. They are Fire Chief Giff La Rose, Jim Garton, Tony Quin and Andrew Carmichael. The series of initial neighbourhood meetings will start in late July so watch for a flyer advertising for your area.

Open burning closed until October

The Ministry of Forests has closed all open burning as of noon , Monday, June 24 until October 15. Open burning is the burning of yard cleanup, brush piles, scrap wood and includes burn barrels. This does not apply to campfires. Safe campfires are still allowed and we ask everyone to exercise care when lighting a campfire and remember that campfires are to be small: less than 18″ or 450mm across and are for enjoyment, cooking or ceremonies. Please call the Fire Patrol pager at 250-703-9022 with any questions or concerns regarding fires. In an emergency remember to call 911

Serious Medical Incident Ends Well

The sirens and helicopter that you may have heard today had to do with a serious medical incident. HIFR, Dr John Chapman, Nurse Maggie Ellis, and BC Air Ambulance came together to stabilize and fly a local resident off island to Royal Jubilee Hospital for advanced medical care.

The incident went off flawlessly and our patient was entertaining the flight crew with his jokes as we drove off. Thanks for the great work to everyone involved.

Fire Extinguisher Workshop Raging Success

Today Duncan wrapped up the final day of our 2 hour fire extinguisher training series which saw 22 islanders take part in the workshops. The participants had a short classroom session then went outside to our burn tray where they used their freshly learned theory on live fires.

HIFR would like to thank the Hornby Island Coop for their participation in this valuable training series. Thanks,also, to Duncan MacCaskill for the huge amount of personal time he put into organizing and leading the sessions.

If you would like to take part in the next session, the date of which is yet to be determined, leave a comment on this page, call the fire hall at 335-2611, or talk to Duncan at the Coop service desk.

Cadet Camp 2013 Dates Set

Cadet camp returns this year and will take place on Wednesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 28. Youth between the ages of ten and 14 are welcome to take part in a fun filled two days of cutting apart cars, discharging hose lines, learning first aid skills, discovering ways to escape a burning house, and putting out real fires with fire extinguishers.

Running from 10:30-3:30, the program has something different each day. The cadets and their families are invited to the firehall on the Thursday evening for a dessert potluck where the cadets can show off their new skills and take part in the award ceremony.

The cost is free and we serve lunch for both days. For more information and to register, check out www.hifd.org, call the fire hall at 250.335.2611, or register online. Pre-registration is essential for us to know how many lunches to prepare and because we have to limit the size to a maximum of 20 participants.