Saanich Peninsula fire departments have been hard at work this summer; training, candidate testing and receiving new equipment.
Central Saanich Fire department have been putting candidates for its Paid on Call program through their paces, with physical testing and training scenarios. The program is aimed at people who are available during the day, able to respond to calls between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
More @CSaanichFire candidates were at it tonight. #csaan #POC #firefighters pic.twitter.com/9JFG1QQN2i
— Central Saanich Fire (@CSaanichFire) August 20, 2019
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North Saanich Fire department members have been engaged in training aimed at countering a range of dangers.
“We’ve been continuing our ongoing training, especially wildfire training for the season, in case of possible deployment. We are also training to be ready for any situation that might arise in our District,” says North Saanich deputy fire chief Steve Knapp.
Sidney Fire Department has also been training, with members most recently practice-deploying its high-rise gear using its new training tower. The department has also been training on containing marina fires.
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“This time of year we focus a lot on our marina fire fighting. The days are long and the weather is warm and we have a very close relationship with all the marinas we serve. It’s a great opportunity for us to practice and drill and continually evolve our strategies and tactics for marina firefighting. I can proudly say we are at the forefront of what we do, with marina firefighting, on the west coast of B.C,” says Sidney Fire Chief Brett Mikkelsen.
Sidney Fire also recently took possession of a used 2005 fire truck that will add to their capabilities.
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“It’s a big rescue truck pumper, almost as big as our ladder truck in overall length. It’s truly big, it’s like a tool box on wheels.”
The truck will enhance the service’s capabilities as it has a range of features. It allows the operator pumping to stand on the truck rather than at the side, affording them protection from any side-swiping vehicles on the highway. It is also so big it can be positioned to shield firefighters from passing highway traffic and it also can act as a reserve engine, providing a surplus of pumping capacity.
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