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Two more firefighters will make a huge difference for Okanagan Landing residents.
Vernon Fire Rescue Chief David Lind said the department will be adding two more firefighters which will allow them to operate the Okanagan Landing fire hall 24-hours a day.
Lind said since 2017, the city has been working on an eight-year strategic plan which includes more hires.
The plan deals with equipment needs, staffing needs and other requirements for keeping the city safe.
“Over the eight-year period, foundational pieces are being put in. We are closing a lot of gaps that have existed within fire services,” said Lind.
In 2020, four firefighters will be promoted to junior officer role of lieutenant.
“That will allow us to open Okanagan Landing with a light career staff,” said Lind. “That career staff will be augmented with auxiliary members when they are available as well. That will go a long way in reducing response times.”
And that response time can make a big difference. Lind said if the light crew can get their quickly, “they can intervene when the incident is quite small still.”
In 2019, a 10-month pilot project was conducted regarding response models and Lind said the results were excellent with faster response times and property loss reduction.
In the first year, the cost of the two additional firefighters will be $194,000.
“There has been a significant call volume in Vernon Fire Services response area. We handle in the magnitude of 4,000 calls a year for service,” said Lind. “We have needed to add firefighters to the force for some time now.”
Currently, there are 33 full-time equivalent firefighters in the career and auxiliary force.
“In a population of 42,000 you should be sitting at around 42,” said Lind, adding Penticton has 40, West Kelowna has 49 and Port Moody is at 49.
The career members deal with up to 95 per cent of the incidents, but call upon auxiliary members for larger, more sustained incidents.
