From horses and bells to state of the art; Vernon Fire Department has come a long way in 125 years

By (CHARLOTTE HELSTON /InfoTel Multimedia) April 01, 2016 - 9:00 PM

VERNON - Things have come a long way at the Vernon Fire Department since it got its start 125 years ago with a horse drawn fire engine. The department, which began in 1891, is actually older than the City of Vernon itself, which was incorporated the year after. It’s landmark birthday the fire department is celebrating with bells on — literally. Members of the fire hall, with help from the community, are restoring a large, 850 pound bell from the original fire hall, which stood roughly where the Marten Brewpub is now on Main Street. Vernon Fire Chief Keith Green says the bell, which has a diameter of 42 inches, was purchased in 1894 for $176. “The old pull boxes, in effect until the 70s, would send a signal to the fire hall and interrupt the circuit to the bell, and it would ring,” Green says, adding the old bell hasn’t rung in probably 50 years. The bell’s gudgeons, leg stands and clapper (the device that rings the bell) are all long gone, and those involved in what Green has dubbed ‘The Bell Restoration Project’ have worked diligently to recreate the missing pieces. The new parts will even be dipped in acid to create a weathered look to match the bell. The department plans to unveil the restored bell at an open house in May, which the whole community is going to be invited to. Reflecting on the fire hall’s 125 years of service to the community, Green says a lot has changed. Old photos from the Vernon Museum and Archives prove as much.“You can see the guys are in dress shoes, ties and suspenders,” Green says of the department’s first firefighters. Now, firefighters wear a full suit of armour complete with a breathing apparatus. Transportation has also changed dramatically. The first fire engine was a horse-drawn wagon, Green says. As rumour has it, the horses were kept in a field across from the station, and when they heard the bell ring, they would run over and assume their positions in front of the wagons. When the department got its first fire engine in 1913, the horses retired. “As the story goes they were sold to the milkman and he had to get rid of them because every time the bell rang they ran down to the fire station with the milk cart. They were so well trained he couldn’t stop them,” Green says. In 1934, the fire hall got a shiny new truck from Watkin Motors in Vernon. The antique was fully restored by members of the fire department in 2002 and is brought out for parades and special events. As the community grew, so did the fire department, Green says. From an original crew of just a handful of firemen, the department now staffs three chief officers, four captains, 24 firefighters, four dispatchers, one emergency coordinator, one captain of fire prevention, and a mechanic — plus 35 to 40 paid on call firefighters. While helping the public remains its mission, the fire department does more than just fight fires these days. It responds to numerous medical emergencies, traffic accidents, HAZMAT calls and rescues. A big focus is on prevention, with the department running smoke alarm and car seat programs, in addition to other safety initiatives and fundraisers. The 125 anniversary open house is set for Saturday, May 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Station 1, located at 3401 30 St. There will be burgers and hot dogs, as well as antique fire engines and equipment on display.

Vernon firefighters association rings alarm bells over staffing structures

By Charlotte Helston May 30, 2014 - 1:09 PM Info-Tel Multimedia
VERNON - A heated debate over Vernon's decision to deploy fire crews in groups of two instead of four continues to simmer. The Vernon Professional Firefighters Association is speaking out about staffing structures following the release of a YouTube video showing a fire captain asking members of the public for assistance while battling a house fire. “That’s dangerous to do. You don’t want to expose the public to smoke and carcinogens, we cannot ask the public to assist with that. It’s not okay,” says Brent Bond, association president. “The city is putting themselves in massive liability.” Fire chief Keith Green insists the bystanders weren’t in any danger and defends the crew’s decision to ask for help. He says a total of six firefighters were on scene within four to six minutes, though they didn’t all arrive at the same time because of a management decision in November 2013 that split up crews. The first two members on scene were dispatched from the fire hall, while the other two were out fueling a truck. Two volunteer firefighters in the area also responded. “That video didn’t start when the crew arrived on scene,” Bond says. “You can hear the sirens coming. It was only two firefighters there to start.” WorkSafe B.C. requires four firefighters to be on scene before they can enter the structure. If someone had been inside, Bond says the two initial responders couldn’t have gone in to rescue them. For him, the situation caught on camera is an alarming, and common, example of the department’s present response model at work. Because only two members are required on first medical response calls, the department shifted its staffing structure last November. “What management did in an attempt to save money was split the crew of four into two groups of two. That’s not common fire practice anywhere in B.C.,” Bond says. He says it was Vernon’s current fire chief, Keith Green, who returned to the four-person response model several years ago. The two-person model had been in effect since 2008 when the first medical response program was launched and Bond says it was “nothing but trouble.” Bond maintains it’s a risky response model today, especially in situations like a burning building where “every second counts.” He says the scene captured on video plays out all too often. “It happened just the other day but it didn’t happen to be caught on YouTube,” Bond says. The firefighters association is in discussions with the City of Vernon to change it back to a four-person response crew. Vernon mayor Rob Sawatzky sees no issues with the system, insisting response times are consistently within the national standards. “We’ve tried to rationalize a more appropriate, less costly response so firefighters do not attend these (first medical response calls) with large equipment,” Sawatzky says. “We operate under financial realities.” He says the fire protection budget rises more rapidly than any other city department each year and adds “there’s no substance to suggestions that we have an inadequate number of fire fighters.” Sawatzky doesn’t believe there’s any greater risk to firefighters or to the public given the present response model. “I don’t have any more concerns than I always have about everyone who is involved in dangerous work and responds to these situations,” Sawatzky says.

Charlotte Helston  Info-Tel Multimedia Jun 11, 2013 - 11:21 AM 
VERNON — A strategy is being put in place by the Vernon fire department to extinguish overtime costs by the end of 2014.  Fire chief Keith Green told city council Monday that an overtime trend that started in 2011 is not sustainable. He says blazes like the August Birnie Road fire and the Rise fire contributed substantially to the gross overtime cost of  $313,082 for 2012. Other overtime drivers include statutory holidays, and Green says five staff must be on duty every day of the year, including Christmas. "Family Day will add another stat where we are paying overtime," Green says. Off duty training also played a part in firing up overtime. Despite efforts to incorporate training into on-duty work, Green says 209 hours of off-duty training time were included in the gross overtime total. With senior staff beginning to retire, Green says it was essential to bump members of the crew up to the Fire Officer I and II levels. "Officer training is now complete for many years," Green says. A number of strategies are being put in place to achieve the department's goal of reducing overtime by $56,630 over the next two years. Green says a new dispatch system will allow the service to better prioritize which calls they respond to. If a call doesn't meet their criteria, the system will automatically tell B.C. Ambulance they aren't coming. Green says on-duty training will continue to be emphasized and pre-planned estimation sheets for scheduling will be implemented to keep overtime at a minimum.
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• Vernon Fire - Rescue Services 2012 Annual Report (P. 33) • Vernon Fire - Rescue Overtime Reduction Strategies (P. 57) Agenda Package  June 10

Emergency Intervention Disclosure website is now online

VICTORIA  March 2 – A comprehensive website with information about the new Emergency Intervention Disclosure Act and Regulation was launched today. The website, located at -  http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/eida.htm  - provides information to first responders and victims of crime who are concerned they may have been exposed to a communicable disease through contact with the blood or other bodily substance of another person.The website contains answers to frequently asked questions as well as the forms people need to take action under the legislation. There are links to information on HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, including information on how these viruses are spread and steps people can take to prevent infection.Users can also find links to designated health facilities, provincial court offices and the relevant legislation.

The Emergency Intervention Disclosure Act was passed on May 31, 2012 and comes into force today. The legislation recognizes that emergency personnel are at a higher risk of coming into contact with other peoples’ bodily substances. In the unfortunate case that an exposure occurs, if a blood sample is not given voluntarily, a court order can now be obtained to require individuals to give one. Without this, a worker could carry the mental burden of uncertainty for months before knowing for certain whether he or she has been exposed to a communicable disease.