Editor's note: during the pandemic, The 小蓝视频 has been pausing once a year to focus on those in town who have been on the front lines during COVID. This time, we are highlighting Squamish Fire Rescue.
Last year was a busy year for local firefighters, with 945 callls coming into Squamish Fire Rescue, in 2021. That is a 36% increase over 2020's call volume for the department's eight career firefighters and approximately 50 paid-on-call members.
COVID factor
Fire Chief Bill Stoner says the pandemic has added another layer to an already stressful job for firefighters.
"What was really amazing about our firefighters is that they never wavered from their determination to provide outstanding services to this community. It was amazing to see our firefighters deal with the stresses and just step up and provide great service," Stoner said.
COVID-19 meant extra PPE, extra precautions, extra decontamination, he said.
How the department trained incoming firefighters also had to change.
"We had to learn how to do that from six feet away," he said.
The department ran two recruitment sessions during the pandemic and was in the midst of a third session when The 小蓝视频 talked to Stoner in late January.
He gave kudos to the new recruits who have had to learn under pandemic conditions.
"They have not been normal sessions. And we've been learning on the go," he said. "There was a lot of stop and go — we would have 'circuit breakers' and they'd stop and then we'd start again... They've all come through and they've all done very well."
Asked what he wished the public knew about the department, Stoner said he hopes the community recognizes how devoted the members have been through it all.
"That is everyone in our department from our administrative staff and our paid-on-call firefighters and our career staff," he said.
He added that paid-on-call firefighters have to complete a minimum of 200 hours of training and call response per year.
"And so many firefighters do more than that."
Career firefighters, in addition to responding to calls, are involved in fire prevention initiatives and make sure all their equipment works, he said.
Good-bye and thank you
Stoner noted that some of the department's most senior members, with a combined total of 97 years of service, have retired over the last year.
"It's certainly worth noting because they've had incredible careers," Stoner said.
Capt. Sean Sweeney gave the department 40 years of service; Capt. Steve Barone served for 34 years, and Capt. Peter Walsh gave the department 23 years of service.
"We're just so thankful for all the work that all those members have put in for us over the years," Stoner said.
The new Valleycliffe fire hall
The new $is well under construction in Valleycliffe. The District is building the combined Fire Hall, Emergency Operations Centre and administration building on the site of the old Alex Munro Fire Hall No. 1.
"So, we'll get two of the key emergency response organizations within the District out of the floodplain and into a really safe area, which is great," Stoner said.
"Another great thing that comes out of that move is we're getting kind of the right pieces in the right places. We're moving our ladder truck to that hall, which is that much closer to downtown where the bigger buildings are and we will have quicker response from that hall to downtown as well."
Until the new facility is operational, the department has been working out of a temporary fire hall that was constructed at the intersection of Guilford and Clarke Drives.
While the pandemic has impacted construction timelines due to supply chain issues, the hall is expected to be operational this summer.
Programs to note
This past summer, for the first time, Squamish and Whistler fire departments teamed up and twice sent crews to help fight wildfires in other areas of 小蓝视频
"It was a great learning experience for our memberships," Stoner said.
Crews went to the Merritt area and the Cariboo region.
He added that the practical knowledge of being involved in the field with structural fire protection benefited the whole department when the crews returned.
"You learn so much," he said.
Back at home, officials with the District's emergency program and Squamish Fire Rescue members have been doing of residents' homes, focusing on areas in town where there is a high fire risk.
Stoner also drew attention to crews conducting .
"If you drive down Government Road out by the airport, you'll see that we have started thinning to create less of an opportunity for a large fire to move to that area," he said.
The treatment will cover 7.4 hectares in that area.
Within Brackendale Farmers' Institute Park — over 4.85 hectares along the northern and eastern edges — crews are creating a demonstration forest to show what it looks like after an area has been fuel treated.
"So, when someone walks through the , you will see where a Fire Smart forest looks like," Stoner said.
According to the District, this fuel treatment involves the removal of woody debris and trees smaller than 12.5 centimetres in diameter. Some trees between 12.5 and 17 cm will also be removed, as will larger trees if they are deemed dangerous.
Stoner said members of the department are also looking forward to getting back to some of the community events that the pandemic has interrupted.
"The game, for example, where they raise money for people in the community or the Easter egg hunts or the parades," he said. "That's what our membership is really looking forward to — those opportunities they have to work with the community like we haven't been able to."
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