Ninety-five emergency personnel from a wide variety of agencies participated in a wildfire and evacuation exercise hosted by Oyster River volunteer fire rescue in the Martin Park Drive/Macaulay Road area of Black Creek.
The emergency response and evacuation exercise March 13 was part of a full weekend of training on wildfire management for structural firefighters.
Participating were the Wildfire Branch of the Ministry of Natural Resources Operations, the Comox fire department, Cumberland fire department, CFB 19 Wing Comox fire department, Hornby Island fire department, BC Ambulance Service, Courtenay RCMP, Comox Valley Emergency Program, Comox Valley Search and Rescue, Emergency Social Services, St John鈥檚 Ambulance and Comox Valley Amateur Radio.
The exercise involved a multi-agency response, including an evacuation of residents, to a simulated wildfire. The purpose of the exercise was to enhance the skills of the participating agencies, to understand the roles and responsibilities of other agencies and to improve interoperability through working jointly and strengthening interagency relationships.
Residents in the area allowed firefighters to triage their homes and, as appropriate, develop an emergency response for their house and grounds.
Oyster River Fire Chief Niels Holbek acknowledged the support from and participation of the residents in the exercise area.
鈥淥ur community needs to be prepared for the type of catastrophic events that we are seeing around the world. It is really only a matter of time before we will be faced with serious flooding, a wildfire or an earthquake.鈥�
"The wildfire management exercise simulated a real forest/settlement interface fire,鈥� said Brenda Leigh, Strathcona Regional District director for Black Creek-Oyster Bay (Area D). 鈥淚t has to be very reassuring to our constituents in the region to know how competently this operation was handled. Bravo to Chief Niels Holbek and the Oyster River Fire Department for coordinating this important training event."
Leigh, Vancouver Island North MP John Duncan, and Comox Valley Regional District chief administrative officer Debra Oakman toured the area during the exercise.
Gary Hartwig from the provincial Office of the Fire Commissioner was also on hand to answer questions about the role of the Fire Commissioner鈥檚 Office as it relates to wildfire management.
One of the four provincial structural protection units was on display at the Oyster River fire hall, allowing firefighters the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the contents of the unit. The training was delivered by Darren Hutchinson and Brad Owens of Quintech Fire.
鈥� Oyster River Fire Rescue
