Firefighters from yesterdays controlled burn from a Fire Smart cleanup event from last fall.
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South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department Open House slated
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Fire Chief thankful for firefighters stepping up to fill gaps
A couple of weeks ago, the South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department (SGLVFD) Auxiliary funded a retirement event for three members of the fire department – Maintenance Officer Bob Walker, Captain Art Groves and Fire Chief Peter McKie.
“I was only expecting a small send-off from the fire department, but it went way beyond my expectations. The commemorative plaques for the three of us was unexpected but very much appreciated by all of the retiring members,” McKie says.
He adds the retirements were due to a variety of reasons – health issues and people moving away from the South Green Lake community.
McKie says it was a big gap to fill in the fire department, but some members stepped up to fill vacant positions.
“We have commitments from members stepping up to fill the positions to keep the fire department moving forward.”
He thanks Roger Graham for becoming the new Fire Chief, Dunham Craig – new Deputy Fire Chief, Bob Bell – new Assistant Fire Chief, Steve Baker – new Captain, Dennis Nagy – existing Captain and Brian Wagner – new Maintenance Officer.
“Thank you all for stepping up.
“On the fact that what we’ve accomplished by working together over the past 10 years, I feel very confident the fire department will continue to grow and support Green Lake with activities such as FireSmart, dry hydrant project, fire prevention and continuing to upgrading our training to meet WorkSafeBC and Office of the Fire Commissioner’s Playbook requirements.
“I would like to thank the [Thompson-Nicola Regional District] for all of its support when we became a TNRD Fire Hall and getting us through the growing pains and all of their processes – most importantly the TNRD Fire Protection Services staff for helping us get through their processes.
“I would also like to thank everybody for their dedication and commitment on many projects over the past decade. If it wasn’t for them, we couldn’t have achieved all that we have done.”
Moving forward, McKie says the fire department is looking at replacing apparatus that is “timing out” and is looking at new apparatus.
Retiring SGLVFD fire chief Peter McKie was very happy when open the plaque he received at the retirement luncheon.
Ken Alexander photo
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Fire department prepared for wildfire event
South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department members set up sprinklers around the Green Lake Snowmobile Club to form a water barrier around the building.
Ken Alexander photo
South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department (SGLVFD) firefighters and officers have conducted two wildfire practices in July.
The first practice saw them setting up sprinkler lines around the Green Lake Snowmobile Clubhouse and on the boulevard on the shoreline side of Green Lake South Road. The sprinkler lines went up smoothly and they had water flowing quickly.
The firefighters got passing grades from Fire Chief Roger Graham and Safety Officer Steve Baker.
The second practice involved a mock callout to Access Road #14. The response time was excellent. As soon as the firefighters and apparatus arrived on the scene, the firefighters quickly set up yard sprinkler lines as well as roof top sprinklers on the home and garage at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Everyone was kept busy setting up sprinkler lines from the equipment that was stored in the new wildfire trailer.
The trailer also carried portable pumps that were used to draw water from Green Lake to feed the sprinklers that were providing a steady and strong flow of water to create a moisture barrier that would stop a wildfire from spreading from the bush to the buildings on the property.
This practice was significantly more sophisticated than the first one, and everyone did their jobs flawlessly.
If a spot fire popped up in the South Green Lake community, local firefighters would have a good chance at stopping or significantly slowing the spread of fire.
Sprinklers available
South Green lake full- and part-time residents who signed up to purchase sprinklers from the SGLVFD will be able to pick them up at the fire hall on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Firefighters and officers worked hard to build all of the sprinklers.
Residents are asked to have their cheques ready when they pick up their sprinklers during the drive-through event at the fire hall (546 Green Lake South Rd.) on July 31 between 1 and 3 p.m.
Safety bags and detectors available
The second round of safe home safety bag, with combined smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms, drive-through pickup event at the fire hall will be held at the fire hall on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m.
The South Green Lake community’s full- and part-time residents were given this gift thanks to the Fire Chiefs Association, Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
The South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department was the recipient of hundreds of combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms to give to South Green Lake full- and part-time residents who don’t have hard-wired alarms in their homes and cabins.
However, it wasn’t just the alarms the SGLVFD received. It also got reusable bags from the TNRD full of home fire safety information as part of the giveaway package.
Residents are asked to have their names, lot numbers, phone numbers and e-mail addresses ready when they pick up their safety bags.
Residents are asked to drive safely when the come into the parking lot to pick up alarms and fire-safety information because there will also be residents coming in to pick up their pre-ordered sprinklers.
Fire Sprinklers
Sprinklers can save homes/cottages in a wildfire incident
After people, who live in the Wildland Urban Interface – where their homes are beside or close to forests or grasslands – have FireSmarted their property and the buildings on it, they should consider installing the last line of defence.
They could install a sprinkling system that will provide a moisture barrier around their homes, cottages and outbuildings.
Having an activated sprinkler system could make the difference between saving your home and/or cottage as well as all of of the memorabilia and other valuables inside of them.
South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department (SGLVFD) trainer Del Westfall says sprinkler systems do save homes.
“It’s a proven fact that sprinklers can save your house. When I went to the Hutchinson Subdivision after the [2017 Elephant Hill] wildfire went through there, you could see where the wildfire burned up to the foundations of the homes that had sprinkler systems and the homes weren’t touched.
“So it is a proven fact that sprinklers will help in a wildland fire as long as they are activated.”
Westfall says sprinklers do that by putting humidity in the air, thereby cooling the air and dampening the ground and the roof.
However, a sprinkler system is only as good as your supply of water.
Folks who live along the shore line of Green Lake have an abundant supply of water, so they just have to pump the water to their sprinkler systems.
Residents, who live on the off-shore side of the lake, will likely get their water supply from their wells.
Unfortunately, well water wouldn’t be available if the hydro power isn’t available.
However, South Green Lake off-shore resident George Macfarlane has found a way to have an adequate water supply for his home-made sprinkler system even if Hydro is knocked out during a wildfire incident.
Macfarlane says he decided to build his own sprinkler system when he visited Pressy Lake after the Elephant Hill wildfire tore through the lakeside community destroying homes and cottages. Unfortunately, the property owners didn’t have activated sprinkler systems when the wildfire went through, he notes.
Macfarlane says he decided he needed to set up a sprinkler system because the 2017 wildfire was only five minutes away when it roared past his South Green Lake property.
He started by purchasing four, 200-Canadian-gallon carbuoys (rigid containers) and some flexible hose to connect them. These containers can be connected to each other to provide a significant amount of water for the sprinklers and only need to be drained before winter to avoid freezing.
He helped the SGLVFD firefighters build some sprinklers during the 2017 wildfire season, which the fire department made available to community members.
Macfarlane built four of his own three-foot tall yard sprinklers to protect his home and property.
He didn’t build roof-top sprinklers because he has a metal roof. He will use one yard sprinkler to provide a moisture barrier for his house and garage, and place the three other
yard sprinklers near his property line to provide a moisture barrier between his back yard and the Crown wildland.
He says there is a large fuel load out back of his property and believes that’s where the fire would come through.
Macfarlane purchased a firefighting high-pressure pump with accessories from Princess Auto on the Lower Mainland. He says it came with everything he needed build the water supply system, but adds folks who want to build a sprinkler system should get started on it now because parts – such as connectors and hose fittings – can be hard to come by.
The good thing about the pump system that Macfarlane purchased from Princess Auto is the components are 100 per cent compatible with the Ministry of Forests and SGLVFD fittings.
Macfarlane says it cost him around $1,400 to build his system, but he only paid half price for the pump.
“I recommend to anyone wanting to put this system together to give me a call at either 604-219-0469 or 604-591-3246 and I will render any assistance I am able to supply.”
Meanwhile, SGLVFD firefighters are willing to make up some sprinkler systems for South Green Lake residents, and they are offering a five-sprinkler package of two rooftop sprinklers and three ground sprinklers for $60 per sprinkler.
However, folks will have to pre-order a sprinkler system before July 15 before the firefighters will start building them.
The South Green Lake residents can pick up their sprinklers and pay their bills at the Fire Hall (546 Green Lake South Rd.) on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Anyone else who didn’t pre-order and wants a sprinkler system can show up at the Fire Hall on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. and they can order a set.
Anyone with questions or wants to order some sprinklers can contact Del Westfall at home at 250-456-2267; cell at 778-378-9013, or by e-mail at lindawestfall@hotmail.com
FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition program slated for 2021
South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department (SGLVFD) Captain Bob Bell and firefighter Ken Alexander are South Green Lake’s local FireSmart representatives (LFRs).
They recently completed FireSmart Canada’s mandatory two-day virtual LFR workshops and retained their LFR certifications.
In 2017, the Elephant Hill wildfire, which started some 80 kilometres away on Elephant Mountain near Ashcroft, burned through wildland forests close to the houses and cottages of the South Green Lake community. It came so close the homes and cottages, residents and vacationers had to be evacuated.
That’s when it sunk in that the South Green Lake community had a significant risk of wildfire damage and destruction of homes, cottages and properties.
After the Elephant Hill wildfire burned itself out, Alexander and Bell attended a FireSmart BC conference in Williams Lake and learned how to help mitigate the risk of wildfire damage for people living in the Wildland Urban Interface, where homes were built on or beside the forested wildland.
They were introduced to the FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition Program #FireSmartCanada during the recent FireSmart Canada virtual workshops. Bell and Alexander think this program will be a perfect fit for the South Green Lake community.
The Neighbourhood Recognition Program will teach residents how live with wildfire threat and how to help increase their home’s chance of survival through proactive actions. The program also encourages neighbours to work together to mitigate the risk of wildfire destruction.
They decided to split the South Green Lake community into three neighbourhoods by using the format the fire department used – Alpha, Bravo and Charlie – during the 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire.
The first neighbourhood project will start in the Bravo Neighbourhood at lot address 501 (next to Access Road #5) and reach out to lot address 933 (next to Access Road 9A) where the SunsetView Site of the Green Lake Provincial Park begins on the shoreline side of Green Lake South Road.
The corresponding lot numbers on the off-shore side from Access Road #5 to the Buffalo Ranch at lot address 938, will also be in the Bravo neighbourhood.
Alexander and Bell will kick off the program by conducting the Neighbourhood Wildfire Hazard Assessment, which is an important step in the FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition process because it will give residents a snapshot of wildfire risk in their neighbourhood.
It’s a tool to help neighbourhood residents understand their wildfire hazard, so they can learn how to reduce the risk.
Here is a key piece of information: Research has shown embers (burning pieces of airborne wood and/or vegetation) can be carried up to two kilometres by the wind. These embers and small surface fires are the two primary sources of home ignitions during wildfires. Residents can mitigate this risk by removing flammable materials within 10 metres of their homes or cottages and outbuildings.
Therefore, residents must prepare their homes, cottages and outbuildings to withstand embers and minimize the likelihood of flames or a surface fire touching their homes or any attachments and setting them on fire.
To make the FireSmart Neighbourhood Program work, someone in the neighbourhood needs to step up as the Neighbourhood Champion.
Neighbourhood Champions will help rally his or her neighbours, and also act as a point of communication with the local FireSmart representatives during the recognition and funding application process. Neighbourhood Champions also find other volunteers to serve on the FireSmart Neighbourhood committee.
Neighbourhood Champions will be provided with step-by-step support during the process.
For more information about the Neighbourhood Champion role, contact Bob Bell at 250-395-0622.
Anyone wanting assistance with a self assessment of their buildings and property or want more information about the Neighbourhood FireSmart Program can contact Bell or Ken Alexander at 250-456-7496 or cell at 250-319-8085 or e-mail at top_drawer@shaw.ca
#FireSmartBC
Skimmers were brought in to help battle the Elephant Hill wildfire that roared through the forest hills above the South Green Lake community in 2017.The crew from Quebec skimmed water from Green Lake and when their holding tanks were filled, they flew off to help battle the wildfire by dropping their payloads at nearby Jim Lake.
Ken Alexander photo
Tags: Home Safety Program
In British Columbia, smoke alarms are mandatory in all homes and recreational cabins.
Thanks to the Fire Chiefs Association,Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and the Office of the Fire Commissioner, the South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department has several combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms to give out to South Green Lake full-time and part-time residents.
These alarms are for the owners of older homes and cabins who don’t have hard-wired alarms built in their buildings.
However, these alarms will also be available to people who want one for their garage, shop or guest cabins that don’t have hard-wired alarms.
The free alarms are powered by a Lithium Powercell, which lasts for 10 years, so there is no need to replace batteries.
Smoke alarms have a working life of 10 years, so they have to be replaced when the 10 years is done and then be recycled. The alarms should be checked once a month for ongoing safety.
The alarm packaging also includes instructions for self-installation and self-activation.
The alarms come in a reusable TNRD Fire Protection Services bag, which includes information brochures on the use and placement of smoke alarms, Carbon Monoxide Safety and Portable Fire Extinguishers information.
Bag full of safety information
* The bag also includes a Home Fire Safety Checklist. Residents are urged to go through the checklist, and check off the items as either “yes” or “no” so they know how fire safe their homes and cabins are, and make some changes if needed.
* The bag also includes Home Fire Escape Plan information. Residents and vacationers are urged to develop an escape plan for their homes and cabins. The plan can save family members from loss of life or serious injuries in a house fire by having everyone getting out of the building quickly and safely to meet at a designated safe gathering place.
* The bag also contains suggested items to make up an Emergency Grab & Go Bag in case you have to evacuate quickly in an emergency situation.
So where can you get the alarms?
Local FireSmart Representatives Bob Bell and Ken Alexander will be handing out the bags of the alarms and important fire safety information at the South Green Lake Fire Hall (546 Green Lake South Rd.) on May 22 and on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. both days.
It will be a drive-thru event. We will need residents’ lot address number and their names.
If you have questions or need more information, call Ken at 250-456-7496 or e-mail at top_drawer@shaw.ca
Full- and part-time South Green Lake residents are eligible for a combination Smoke and CO alarm if they don’t have hard wired alarms installed in their homes, garages, shops or cabins. Local FireSmart Representatives Bob Bell and Ken Alexander will be handing out the bags of the alarms and important fire safety information at the South Green Lake Fire Hall (546 Green Lake South Rd.) on May 22 and on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. both days.
Ken Alexander photo
