Sooke Fire Rescue Service had a busy night on Monday as a flurry of calls sent crews to a series of calls that served as a true test of the Service’s capacity to deal with emergencies.
It all started minutes before 6 p.m. when the male driver of a Toyota Echo veered across the centre line and struck a utility pole near John Muir School.
The crash cut power in the area and sent the driver to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Minutes later, at about 6:20 p.m., crews were called to another medical emergency when a “long fall” (fall from height) sent another Sooke resident to the hospital.
But the evening was just getting started.
At 7:20 p.m. Fire Rescue responded to another medical call when it a resident in the Whiffin Spit area managed to cut themselves seriously enough to cause a hemorrhage. Crews responded and the victim was again transported to the hospital.
“All these calls in rapid succession are not common in a place like Sooke, but our crews were there to handle it all. It happens sometimes. You have a lull and then it’s like the witching hour or something and everything happens at the same time,” said Sooke Fire Chief, Ken Mount.
Mount said that he had made the decision to maintain some staff on standby when the first call came in, in anticipation of the possibility of another call.
“It worked out well, we didn’t just get one call, but a series of calls. That can really put a strain on resources but our guys did a great job.”
Following the hemorrhage call, the evening wasn’t quite over for the Fire Rescue Service.
“As if we didn’t have enough to do, at 7: 56 we were called for what was really a nuisance call when someone left an unattended beach fire burning at Ellis Beach,” said Mount.
“This is particularly concerning as we head into fire season. People really need to be more aware of the danger.”
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