Seven fire departments within District 69 successfully completed superior tanker shuttle testing on Nov. 6-7.
Deparments from Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Errington, Coombs-Hilliers, Bow Horn Bay, Dashwood and Nanoose participated in the testing that earned them superior tanker shuttle accreditation for the fire protection boundaries within their respective areas.
The accreditation provides a reasonable equivalency to a municipal hydrant system. Once insurance providers are updated, anticipated by the first quarter of 2022, accreditation can result in fire-related insurance benefits to rural property owners within these recognition areas.
“Congratulations to the participating fire departments on their superior tanker shuttle challenge accreditation,” said Tyler Brown, chair of the Regional District of Nanaimo. “We appreciate the commitment and effort of the fire service personnel in our region and the essential support they provide to rural residents in the event of a fire and other emergencies.”
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Within the regional district, including in the member municipalities Parksville and Qualicum Beach, several rural areas are not connected to municipal water supplies and rely on alternative water sources for firefighting, including in Electoral Areas E, F, G and H.
“This achievement is a great example of local fire departments working together under fire service agreements,” said Parksville Mayor Ed Mayne. “We are proud of these close working relationships which facilitate excellent support to neighbouring departments. Congratulations to the departments on receiving this accreditation.”
The superior tanker shuttle service is a process of shuttling water using mobile water supply apparatus such as fire department tankers from fire hydrants and alternative water supply points to the fire site.
To achieve the accreditation, the fire departments had to demonstrate that they could transport water from static water supplies or fire hydrant and maintain a flow of 1,000 litres per minute for up two hours.
Over the course of the two days of testing, each \ department used pumper trucks and water tender trucks to haul water from designated supply sites to mock fire locations to demonstrate capabilities to qualify for the accreditation.
“This is a great demonstration of the readiness of our firefighters and regional service departments to respond to a fire event,” said Qualicum Beach Mayor Brian Wiese. “We are proud of this achievement and we are proud of the people that make our fire safety a priority, and who bring resourcefulness and resilience to our rural areas. Congratulations to all.”
For more information about fire services within the RDN, please visit rdn.bc.ca/fire-departments, parksvillefirerescue.ca and qualicumbeach.com/fire-dept.
— NEWS Staff
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