FIRE CHIEF’S MESSAGE

As the Fire Chief for the Grand Bay-Westfield Volunteer Fire/Rescue Department, I am pleased to submit the Annual Report of the Grand Bay-Westfield Volunteer Fire Department for the year of 2006.  This report will highlight accomplishments, equipment purchases and various areas of the Department and its operation.   

The year 2006 was another terrific year for the Department.  The Department experienced growth in its number of emergency responses.  We ended the year with our membership number at 38.  We were pleased to recognize our members for their years of service with the Department as well as, their advancement in classification within the Department.  We conducted a recruitment campaign in the fall and look forward to bringing on new members in early 2007.  We also completed the development of the static water source in the Beverley Hills area for Fire Suppression needs.    

The Department updated some of its equipment this year.  We traded in our gas detector for a new model.  We were able to purchase a new defibrillator to meet the new standard for AED and CPR.  We purchased new Auto Extrication Tools (Jaws of Life) for the Rescue Squad.  We were able to secure funding to have fencing installed at our training facility and look forward to enhancing our capability of training our members using live burn training aids and mock-ups.  Mayor and Council approved the purchase of a new Tanker to replace an aging vehicle in Station No.1.  A committee was formed to develop the specifications and the tender process took place.  The delivery of the vehicle will be in early 2007.   

The Department, with Council approval, expanded its level of service to its residents.  The Department acquired the necessary equipment and training to provide Ice Rescue Service.  This included purchasing proper suits, ropes, a small zodiac boat, and other related equipment and as well taking the necessary training.         

I wish to say thank you to Mayor, Council, and Town Staff.  Your continued support for the Department is much appreciated.  I especially want to offer a sincere thanks to the members of the Department for their continued dedication to the community and the Department. The members have made this a Department they can be proud to belong to and without their dedication our Department would not be as successful as it is.  Keep up the good work.

Dan McCoy
Fire Chief 

ORGANIZATION

The Chief of the Department is Dan McCoy and the Deputy Chief is Troy Gautreau.  The Department provides service out of two fire stations.  Station No.1 and the Fire Administration Office is located at 615 River Valley Drive and Fire Station No.2 is located at 293 Nerepis Road. The Department consists of 8 Officers and 30 Volunteer firefighters of which 3 are full time members – Fire Chief, Training Officer and Equipment Officer.  The Department’s compliment of apparatus consists of 3 – Engines, 2 – Tankers, 1 – Rescue Squad, 1 – 16ft trailer housing an ATV and off-road rescue sled, and 2 – Support Vehicles.

BUDGET  

The Operating Budget for 2006 was $418,968.00.  The Town’s tax rate for 2006 was $1.35 and the Department’s portion was 15.1 cents of that rate.  The actual calculation equates to 19.5 cents minus 4.4 cents for Sale of Services revenue. The budget is managed by the Fire Chief and overseen by the Town Manager.  The budget includes administrative costs, training and development, equipment maintenance, operational costs, and building expenses.  

TRAINING

The Department has its own qualified instructors providing the training for the membership.  The Department has had many of its members complete their Provincial Firefighter I and II training. Training within the Department is primarily done by its two Training Officers. As shown below the members give many hours of their time to keep up on their skills and to take the necessary training courses to get the Provincial Certification.
 
In 2006, there were 2,910 hours of training taken by the members.  This included such courses as:  Provincial Firefighter Level One, Provincial Firefighter Level Two, Auto-Extrication, Emergency Medical Responder, CPR, Defibrillation, Hazardous-Materials Awareness, Defensive Driving, OHSA & WHSCC and Ice Rescue.  We also sent six members to the Atlantic FDIC training conference in Wolfville, NS. 

MEMBERSHIP & RECRUITEMENT 
  
In 2006, the Department held a recruitment process.  The Department started the process in the fall of the year with the intent of bringing on the new members in the beginning of 2007. We looked forward to bringing on 4 new front line firefighter recruits from the process. 

As stated previously, the Department ended the year with a membership of 38 personnel, and looks forward to increasing that number in the new year.  The Department accepts applications for membership regularly, however, recruitment is based on the operational requirements of the Department. If you are interested in an exciting way to serve your community, drop by the Fire Administration Office or Town Office and pick up information on our Department. 
 

OPERATIONAL HOURS

In 2006, a total of 4,675 hours and 32 minutes were given by the volunteers towards the operations of the Department.  These hours are broken down into three (3) categories.  Emergency Response hours were 1,244 hrs. and 42 minutes, which accounted for 27% of the total. Training was 2,910 hrs. which makes up 62% of the total. Miscellaneous hours were 520 hrs. and 50 minutes which is 11% of the total. Miscellaneous includes administration, special functions, maintenance done by volunteers and such. 

TYPES OF RESPONSE

In 2006, the Department reached an all time high for emergency calls, 277.  This was a significant 15% increase over 2005, and represents an average of a call every 1.32 days. 
 

The Volunteer Fire Department provides various types of services to the residents of which it serves. Besides providing the mandated services of Fire Suppression, Prevention and Education, we also provide Auto-Extrication, EMS, Technical Rescue, Hazardous Materials Response, Off-road Rescue Sled, Ice Rescue and Mutual Aid assistance to our neighboring communities. We also provide community support by the way of assisting with water problems and other needs the community may have.

DEPARTMENT EVENTS

In 2006, the Department again hosted some very successful events:

We held our eighth annual Halloween Haunted House. From all reports it was another huge success and the people really enjoyed it and look forward to it each year. We’d like to thank the Town staff for getting involved and supporting the event.  We look forward to another successful Haunted House in 2007.  

Our Fire Prevention Week Open House was a great success.  We had a great turn out from the public.  This day is also firefighter appreciation day. I would like to thank those businesses that support the Volunteer Fire Department with their contributions.  We would also like to thank the Town Staff for their assistance.

The Department also provides a Fire Safety Program, which is taught to the Grade 4 students in the Westfield and Inglewood Elementary Schools. We would like to thank the businesses that have sponsored this program, which allow us to teach fire safety education to the youth of our community.

AWARDS

In 2006, the Department was very pleased to present Years of Service recognition awards for members completing service as of the end of 2005, as well as the Department’s Firefighter of the Year Award.  Well done to all members who received awards. Thank you for your years of service and dedication to the Department and your community. Those recognized were:

5 Years of Service
Duane Brown 
Lorne Grant 
Bruce Rupert
 
10 Years of Service
Paul McGrath

15 Years of Service
Edward Furlong

20 Years of Service
Dan McCoy – received Federal Exemplary Service Medal
 
Firefighter of the Year – Grant Graham
Rookie of the Year – None for 2006

Retirements
Dallas Moyer – 13 Years Service
Rollie Cheley – 28 Years Service
Paul McGrath – 10 Years Service
Bud Titus – 22 Years Service

Honorary Life Members
Rollie Cheley
Keith Hines
Bud Titus
 

COMMUNICATIONS

All firefighters are equipped with pagers to notify them of calls as well as they are able to hear communications between portable radios. All the Officers carry a portable radio.  The Department is dispatched by the Saint John Public Safety Communications Center.  Each station is equipped with a base radio and all vehicles have mobile radios.  All radios are programmed so that we can communicate with our neighboring Fire Departments, with exception of Saint John Fire Department; also we have communications with the Westfield Ambulance Service.  The Rescue Squad carries a UHF mobile radio providing us the capability of communicating to Provincial agencies, as well it carries extra portable radios for members working in hazardous environments. 

DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT

The Grand Bay-Westfield Volunteer Fire/Rescue Department’s mission is to be a leading emergency service organization by:

• meeting the requirements of the citizens and visitors within the Town of Grand Bay-Westfield and the Local Service District of Westfield West in Fire Suppression, Fire Prevention, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Service;
• promoting the participation of the community in viable and continuously advancing emergency services;
• continuously improving and enhancing the skills and efficiency of its firefighters.

As we look forward to the year 2007, it seems it will be a busy year as usual.  The Department will be conducting ongoing Provincial Firefighter Training, as well as the usual ongoing refresher training done every Wednesday night. We will be anticipating the arrival of our new Tanker to our fleet.  We will be conducting the New Member Training Program for the new recruits, which will take the duration of their probation period. Also, there are important issues for the Department in regard to Capital Budget Expenditures, such as a new Rescue Boat and Trailer, to be prepared to further protect our residents and visitors and also replacement of an aging All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) used for off road rescue, to name a couple. The Department will be working on the continuing development of its Standard Operating Guidelines. We look forward to the development of our training facility and the exciting methods of training that will be able to be performed for our members. As well the Department will be conducting more training on Ice Rescue to be prepared for this type of emergency. All of these items are necessary so the Department can continue to develop and strive to be able to provide the quality service its residents have come to expect.  

DEPARTMENT MEMBERSHIP
 

 Thank you for taking the time to read this annual report.  Hopefully it has provided enough information to give an understanding of your Volunteer Fire Department and the challenges faced by its members who volunteer and also the challenges faced by the Department in providing a proper level of service.  As our community grows new challenges or hazards are sometimes created and your Volunteer Fire Department will always do its best to be prepared to properly handle incidents that may arise from them.  
 
Respectfully submitted,

__________________
Dan McCoy
Fire Chief