The Gibsons & District Volunteer Fire Department (GDVFD)'s contingent of fully trained volunteers is growing this month, Gibsons council heart Oct. 17.
Fire chief Rob Michael gave his third quarter report and said the department’s 10 newest recruits are expected to complete their training shortly, then they can begin responding as needed. They bring the department’s total up to 45 members. A recruitment drive will begin soon and improvements to the training yard are being considered for next year, Michael’s report said. New members have also joined the Sunshine Coast FireSmart team, including retired fire chief Bill Higgs and Lieutenant Erin Wilson. The FireSmart team have completed around 75 homeowner assessments, five community assessments and 15 public events this quarter.
In the third quarter of 2023, the GDVFD responded to 98 calls for service compared to 113 calls for the same period a year before. Michael said notable incidents included a fire hydrant hit by a vehicle, a motor vehicle incident that closed the highway for over an hour, a boat fire, a wildfire near Cedar Grove Elementary and a wildfire near Sunnycrest Mall.
One of the department’s fleet of emergency response vehicles was placed out of service after a malfunction during a call. “Fortunately, the commander was able to bring in a different apparatus in short order without compromising the outcome of the incident,” Michael said. The vehicle had to be sent for maintenance and to determine the cause of the issues.
Of the department’s members’ involvement in wildfire response in other communities in the province, Michael said firefighters experienced “a valuable opportunity where the department is able to put their skills to use and learn about the complexity of wildfire events in other communities throughout the province.” Crews were deployed from early July to the end of August.
The report included in the agenda also touched on the fire department’s want for more discussion with partner agencies about inspecting Residential Guest Accomodations (RGAs also known as short-term rentals). The GDVFD has been conducting fire and life safety inspections of RGAs within the Town of Gibsons, since these properties are treated as businesses “where members of the public are temporarily inhabiting buildings not designed for commercial accommodation,” the report said. Since the building and fire departments work collaboratively yet with separate responsibilities, the report raised the concern that “Partially inspecting short term rentals may lead to undiscovered risks and issues … the fire department will continue to check for fire and life safety hazards but feels that more discussion is required with our partner agencies to the best approach moving forward.”
David Croal, the acting deputy mayor during the meeting, said, “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the volunteers who serve with the department.”
