Questions raised over dispatching firefighters

Published: May 05, 2009 7:00 PM Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star

The battle over firefighting services continues to rage in Vernon. Crews from the Vernon fire hall were dispatched to a blaze on Tronson Road Sunday, eight minutes before the Okanagan Landing hall was paged. “I want to know why?” said Ed Forslund, Okanagan Landing fire chief. “I hope no one was playing games and this was an honest mistake.” City officials insist there was nothing intentional about the delay in dispatching. “It would be a career-ender. No one would do that,” said Rick Owens, deputy chief.

Council is currently considering a business plan developed by administration. It would see the Landing hall downgraded as an autonomous operation, with it falling under the authority of the downtown hall. Unionized staff would be stationed in the Landing along with the current volunteer base. The Okanagan Landing Fire Department Association says such a change is not cost-effective based on the number of call-outs, while city staff claim such a move will provide an equitable level of service to all areas of Vernon.

The Vernon department recently launched dual response so its crews are often going to the same fires as crews from the Landing. On Sunday, dispatch received a report at 5:15 p.m. of an outhouse fire on Tronson Road. “The truck from downtown went right away and it appears that someone forgot to call the Landing right away. The operational guideline wasn’t followed,” said Owens. “It’s an operational issue. We will revisit the matter and hope it doesn’t happen again.” But Owens insists that the bottom line with dual response is public safety. “The customer was served. It doesn’t matter who shows up first,” he said.Forslund isn’t sure how a mistake like the one Sunday could occur. “Tronson is a main road in the Landing. How do you not page to the Landing?” he said. The blaze was located between Adventure Bay and Beachcomber Bay roads.

Questions have also arisen over the Landing department’s claims that it has arrived on scene before the Vernon crews four out of seven times. “Just because an engine is there first doesn’t mean it’s a suitable response,” said Jeff Carlisle, Vernon fire chief. “The number of people on board the truck is an important factor too.” Forslund is concerned that dual response is getting out of hand. “This is not a race. The response coming from downtown is an endangerment,” he said of trucks speeding. It’s a concern that Carlisle shares. “There are claims that we are making this into a NASCAR race and we are looking at the data,” he said.

The fire service business plan will be the focus of a City of Vernon public input meeting at Wesbild Centre Thursday at 6 p.m. Council will be in attendance.