Quicker response time prevents further damage to home

Vernon’s fire chief says a fire call this week shows the benefits of a pilot project to improve the response times to fires in the city’s Okanagan Landing area.

Dave Lind said crews were responding to a garage fire at the end of Tronson Road Monday afternoon, with the first engine from Station 2 in the Landing arriving in 12 minutes while a second engine from Station 1 downtown took 22 minutes.

“This was a really good outcome. There was a little bit of damage in the garage. Fires, they do a lot of damage, but mostly smoke and that kind of thing.”

Lind said the quicker response time from Station 2 minimized damage to the garage, which was attached to a house in a gated community, adding the homeowners are able to continue to occupy the home.

“We’ve had several examples (of the pilot project on staffing the Landing hall). There has been a couple of fires in the Landing, both really close to the fire hall. They were vehicle fires that spread to the structures, and a quick response made a significant difference, so we’re seeing the impacts every single day, but this one really highlights it. It would have been a much different fire if we were all coming from Station 1 and delayed 10 more minutes,” Lind added.

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There were two vehicles in the garage at the time of the fire.

“A delay of an additional 10 minutes travel time would have resulted in fire growth. Had the vehicles ignited the amount of heat generated would have quickly spread the fire to the rest of the structure,” Lind said.

The cause of the fire is believed to be spontaneous combustion from some oily rags which had been disposed of in a garbage container.