Sakinaw Lake resident and retired municipal firefighter with 35 years of experience Harry Dion, said the response to the July 24 fire that destroyed a cottage under construction at Ruggles Bay deserved a “gold medal” (if there were Olympics for fire fighting).
While the structure was lost, the efforts of the Egmont and Pender Harbour Volunteer Fire Departments, BC Wildfire Service, and community members stopped the blaze from spreading, according to Dion. Appreciation for those efforts was extended by the owners of the property and the lake’s community association in an email from association president Wayne Mowat, which was shared with Coast Reporter.
App used to rally community response
A WhatsApp communication group for the Sakinaw Lake community was set up on July 7 by a group of volunteers. Dion was involved in that project and said that forum was crucial in getting resources to the fire site, a property with water access but no road.
“Two and a half weeks later the group was in full emergency response mode,” Dion explained. He said “a lot of direction was shared through the app… it worked really well."
Fellow lake area homeowner Heather Shannon shared screenshots of a portion of the communication postings. Between 8:21 a.m. and 8:36 a.m., more than two dozen people shared observations, photos and requests for such things as firefighting equipment from other households and drinking water to sustain the crews that arrived to fight the flames.
Dion and his family had the idea to set up the app group while at their Sakinaw Lake cabin (across the water from Ruggles Bay) in early July. They spotted a plume of smoke one evening. Concerned for the safety of all in the area, they set out in their boat to investigate.
On that occasion, the smoke was from a cabin chimney and not an unattended fire. But concerns about how to communicate with neighbours in an emergency situation while at the lake, which is located about 45 kilometres north of Sechelt in an area without fire hydrants or central water service, continued as a topic of the family’s discussions.
WhatsApp, an instant messaging and voice-over-IP service that allows users to send text, voice and video messages, as well as share images, documents, user locations, and other content seemed to offer a solution. “We had a bit of help from Kay, a young person in our family, to get it set up," Dion admitted.
As of the morning of July 24, the group had about 65 members, but since the fire the count has ballooned to more than 220, according to Dion.
“It’s not there to replace any of the emergency services at all, we still really need those professional services but it’s there just to enhance and let people know and to get person power there to help out” he noted. “In the case of a medical emergency, this app could be a life saver.”
Fire scene observations
When he arrived at the scene Dion recalled “the site was an eye-opener – the fire was blazing." He said the professional crews were already there and directing the neighbourhood volunteers, who numbered about 40, in Dion’s estimation.
“My main concern was exposure, to protect the other buildings and the forest, as the structure was vacant, there was no need for rescue resources.”
Both Shannon and Dion noted that regional FireSmart program briefings and assessments have been carried out in the lake area by volunteers with the Halfmoon Bay Fire Department and that those have provided great information on how to protect rural properties from fire.
Docks 'crucial' in emergency situations
One takeaway for Dion from the experience was how crucial dock infrastructure on the lake is, which he said needs to be considered in the swiya-wide dock management plan.
“If it wasn’t for the docks, we would have been in big trouble. Without them, I think the fire would have spread a lot more than it did. Our docks were invaluable in staging our equipment, for people to arrive and get on the scene.”
For medical emergency situations, docks “are even more important," he added. Based on his past work experience he said the time it takes for a patient to get to a medical facility can make the difference between life and death.
Shannon’s family have experienced a medical emergency while at their lake property, when her husband was injured in a fall. Luckily, she said, her neighbours were home, heard the accident happen and were there to assist within seconds.
While the WhatsApp group is a great tool, she said her family also invested in a handheld air-horn, so that they can send out an audible distress signal and hopefully summon help for others, if needed.
