Averaging four callouts per day, Langford Fire Rescue is becoming one of the busier fire departments in the region, but it has no plans to shift away from the majority volunteer model.
In 2010, Langford firefighters attended 1,445 incidents that include medical emergencies, vehicle crashes, building alarms and actual structure fires. ThatB次元官网网址檚 up from 1,303 calls in 2009 and 1,164 in 2008, and more than double from 14 years ago B次元官网网址� the department had 702 callouts in 1996.
B次元官网网址淲e are seeing about a 10 per cent growth each year in call volumes,B次元官网网址� fire Chief Bob Beckett said to LangfordB次元官网网址檚 protective services committee. B次元官网网址淚t speaks to the growth and number of people enjoying our community.B次元官网网址�
Langford has a composite crew of eight full-time paid officers and 55 volunteer firefighters spread through three stations in the city. Beckett said itB次元官网网址檚 unlikely the number of firefighters or fire halls will change dramatically in upcoming years.
A fourth fire station is on the books for Bear Mountain, but that project remains on hold until residential construction regains momentum. Bear Mountain residents pay into a fund for a future fire station and the resort company has committed land for the project.
B次元官网网址淯ntil there is sufficient growth in that development area, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to justify the expense of another station and personnel,B次元官网网址� Beckett said.
Over the years, the department has adapted to an increasing workload by creating a B次元官网网址減latoon systemB次元官网网址� where members rotate who is paged for a callout.
For larger emergencies, such as a structure fire, callouts between the three stations can be staggered, depending on the resources are needed.
In 2009, the department installed a fire demand management computer system which stores a database of buildings floor plans, alarm box locations and the type of building construction, all to help firefighters before they step into a burning structure.
B次元官网网址淲e are always cognizant to ensure appropriate resources. WeB次元官网网址檝e looked at different systems on how to not overtax out volunteer staff and paid people,B次元官网网址� Beckett said. B次元官网网址淢y job is to make sure (the demand) is balanced and people donB次元官网网址檛 burn out.B次元官网网址�
While the number of callouts is increasing, the number of structure fires is on the decline. Beckett credits improved building codes and mandatory sprinkler systems in condominiums.
B次元官网网址淔or years we have had less structure fires, partly because of fire prevention and public education, and also because of building code changes,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏uildings are built with better fire resistant materials, and certainly the use of residential sprinklers in multi-family dwellings makes a huge difference for us.B次元官网网址�
The composite staffing model remains a good match to the size of the Langford and the demands on the fire department, Beckett said. Langford fire has an annual $1.6 million budget, far less than what would be needed to fund an equivalent full-time force.
There are no hard and fast rules to what style of fire department is best for a community. Esquimalt, Victoria and Saanich are all career departments, for instance, while Surrey remains a composite.
B次元官网网址淥ur focus will be remaining a composite model for the foreseeable future,B次元官网网址� Beckett said. B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 what is best suited to the community, it meets the needs and is affordable.
B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檝e done our very best to manage the challenge of growth and development. IB次元官网网址檓 really grateful to the kind of commitment we see from our paid staff and volunteers.B次元官网网址�
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
