38 - Wednesday, October 7, 1992 - North Shore News Fire hall tours held this week WEST VANCOUVER residents can see their fire department up close this weck as firefighters mark prevention week with ‘school visits and open houses. All four West Vancouver fire halls will be open to the public between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11. Call 922-9311 for more information. Department representatives are also visiting local schools, teaching children from Kindergarten to Grade 6 about fire safety. . Education is a key component of protection THE NORTH Shore is served by firefighters dedicated to reducing the loss of life and property through fires, and one of their most important tion. That education takes two forms: training their staff to deal with new situations or to better deal with old ones, and informing the public about the importance of fire prevention. North Vancouver District The North Vancouver District fire department has more than doubled in size since Fire Chief Rick Grant joined in 1968. And in that time, training and prevention have become a much bigger part of fighting fires. . And that change has paid off. Grant said that as the population continues to increase in the district, the number of fire calis ‘has been reduced. - Local insurance rates show that fire losses are not as bad as they used to be. Grant said that when he recent- ly built a home, he expected to get good insurance rates because he installed. a sprinkler system. But insurance brokers told him thet he would have gotten 2 betier deal if he had installed a burglar alarni rather than a sprinkler system. _. Although .codes vary between commercial and residential as well as according to densities, Grant would rather see complete protec- ‘tion for ali buildings... ” The best fire protection service tools in that fight is educa- By Pameia Lang Features Reporter anyone can have, he said, is a working smoke detector, a sprinkler system, and a paid fire department. Grant added that they haven't had a fire-related death in years, and one of his goals is to see a yearly reduction in fire damage. He believes education is the besi way to achieve those reductions, and if the department concentrates on seniors and children, then the children will educate their parents. North Vancouver City Educating the public about fire prevention is their top priority, said City Fire Chief Tom Cumm- ings, but training for the firefighters he commands is also very high on his list. “It’s so specialized now,’’ he said, explaining that firefighters have to know more about canger- ous geads and hazardous materi- als than they ever did. They have to know how flam- mable each one is, and what will succeed in supressing it. Water can make some worse. The greatest risks come from the trains and trucks transporting goods through the city, he said. ‘We train for the worst and hope we don’t use it.”” Some bylaws are in place to reduce the risk, he said, explaining that there can be no bulk storage of dangerous goods in the city. The city’s density causes that sort of bylaw to be very impor- tant. Another thing that causes a unique firefighting challenge is the number of three-storey apartment buildings located in the city. “They have massive footprints,’’ he said, adding that the large buildings have many different layouts and are not required to have firefighting water sources in- side. ““We can put a house fire out in seconds,’ he said, but an apart- ment buiilding is much more complex because they have to en- sure the safety of every person who lives there. That means going from apart- ment to apartment and searching every room. "We haven't lost one yet,” he | said. West Vancouver Fire safety for seniors is a great concern of West Vancouver Fire Chief Colin Evans. With a high elderly population living in con- dominiums, education becomes very important for thern. . The department serves a dif- ferent public than most, he said, and they have to be considerate of that public. That can mean wiping your feet before walking on someone’s ex- pensive white carpet or being aware of the speciais needs of those highrise-dwelling seniors. The terrain of some parts of the district are also of concern to Evans, who has successfully lob- bied council to require sprinkler systems in al! new construction Systesns wo. WIRELESS ALARNi SYSTEM - VALUED AT: PACKAGE INCLUDES: gw Touchpad Controller: microprocessor & indoor sounder @ motion sensor, 2 door contacts m@ ADT warning decals, fawn sign @ back-up power supply @ normal maintenance @ System ADT owned and serviced % Subject to GST. Fee increases quaranteed not to excead Consumer Price indas. built in the less accessible parts of the municipality. This creates added protection for homes that may be difficult to reach, especially in winter when the snow creates a hazard. Like other B.C. fire depart- ments, West Vancouver is learning the First Responder medical train- ing course. CALL 985-319 BASIC PACKAGE One-time instaliation charge, pius [ust $24.95* monthly monitesing fee. WE SUPPORT THE NORTH SHORE FIREFIGHTERS & FUTURE FIREFIGHTERS DAVIS INSURANCE AGENCIES I7D. 142 West 15th St., N.Van. 980-3655 NEWS photo Poul McGrath WEST VANCOUVER Fire Chief Colin Evans shakes Vic Sarron’s hand atiter Barron, from the Justice Institue of B.C., completed training eight in-house trainers in the First Responder first ald course. Firefighters Jim Orr, Tony Bird, Bob Michael, Martin Leduc, Mike White, Russ Samgon, Bill Letham, and Pat Giovinazzo will train the rest of their department in the new universal first aid training _ program. it's fair to assume that one day the unthinkable can happen. You can take your chances... ..Or be ready with a comprehensive insurance plan. | ANRWIN & BILLINGS INSURANCE AGENCY Quiselan SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1906 cy , ose Defieux Saxelby Insurance Services Inc. 105 — 200 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 146 (G04) 996-5265 As long-time business residents of your comrnunity, with many more years to come, we want to express our thanks for your support. We're proud of our comimunity and the services we're able to offer you. 41900 Lonsdale, North Vancouver, B.C. 988-1148