Written by SCOTT STANFIELD
Citizen staff
|
|
Thursday, 17 July 2008 |
Capt. James Baxter, right, the Buckhorn Fire Department fire prevention officer, explains to Hayley Baxter, 8, why to stay low and crawl when there is smoke in a room. The theatrical smoke they were in is part of the new Regional District Fire and Safety House that was on display Thursday. (Citizen photo by Brent Braaten)
Related Items
FRASER-FORT GEORGE REGIONAL DISTRICT
The Fraser-Fort George Regional District unveiled a new fire and life safety house/mobile emergency operations centre Thursday.
The centre is a 39-foot trailer that will provide fire safety training and emergency response support throughout the district.
The unit includes a washroom and kitchen area for responders during emergencies, such as flooding and interface fires. It also contains a smoke machine and a heated bedroom door to simulate fire situations during demonstrations at schools and other locations.
It can even simulate thunder and lightning flashes.
"It's a very, very good tool," Ferndale/Tabor Fire Rescue chief Bryant Kemble said. "It teaches all the young, based on Grade 3 and lower, what to do, how to do it and when to do it - God forbid something happens. If it saves one child, it's done its job."
The first of its kind in B.C., the trailer would have been an ideal command post during the 2003 fires in Kelowna.
"All the volunteer halls in the regional district, which are 13, have access to it whenever they need it," said Kemble, chair of the Central Interior Fire Chiefs.
"We have such a large regional district, and places where there are no facilities at all, this will allow staff to have some facilities," added Donna Munt, the district's manager of public safety.
The district invested more than $90,000 towards the unit. Costs were offset through support from numerous corporate and community organizations.
Munt said the district plans next year to secure grant funding for radios and communications equipment.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
