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THE SOUTH SHUSWAP SCOOP
SEPTEMBER 2020
Eagle Bay Fire Department By Nigel Collett I hope everyone and their families are safe and healthy and enjoying the summer heat! The water appears to be draining out of the lake fast and I should be able to walk to my buoy soon! Although the fire rating for Eagle Bay is trending to extreme as I write this on Aug 21, the Eagle Bay Fire Department has not been called out this month. In fact the most exciting news is that we got fibre optic installed at the Firehall! Although there have been no callouts, fire practices have continued every Tuesday evening. I had a perception before joining the Fire Department that it would be a huge time commitment and it is clearly not. You do appreciate though how much there is to learn and it can appear daunting at first. However, the more you practice the more you learn and the more the knowledge becomes engrained. I am also looking forward to the courses at the Shuswap Regional Fire Centre starting up again in the fall. From a rookie perspective you also
start to notice a real change in your outlook on life. Stuff you instinctively knew but is magnified now that you are being exposed to all this training and information. For example: • When I travel through other communities I notice where the Firehall is located and how big it is! Forget trains, fire trucks are cool. • I look at buildings from a Firesmart perspective – what is the fire potential? The most common thing I notice now are cords of wood stacked up against houses but there are lots of other factors and getting a FireSmart assessment for your property makes perfect sense and is so easy. • I look at fire hydrants and how easy and quick they are to access. You can tell if someone is taking the time to make sure the hydrant is not buried in undergrowth and easily accessible. This would be especially true in winter with the clearing of snow berms. • I really move over when emergency vehicles come up on me and I’m heartened to see the emergency first
responders are back in the South Shuswap. I am also taken by the camaraderie across Fire Departments – not just in the CSRD. On a recent family visit I met a couple of firefighters in Prince George who were happy to pose for a photograph and share stories of vacationing in the Shuswap. The very next day this Firehall dealt with a fire at a nearby motel in downtown Prince George where unfortunately three people lost their lives. It’s important to have that connection because even though we have no calls this month in Eagle Bay it brings a stark reminder of why we are practicing over and over again so that we are ready when the community needs us. Eagle Bay Fire Department welcomes anyone who would like more information – please contact Alan Rendell 250-517-0429. He will be happy to answer any questions. Practice is on Tuesday evenings at 7pm for 2 hours, all equipment and training is provided. (Continued on page 11)
