Fire Safety Series Introduction
Over the last several years, our awareness of the need for fire preparation has increased significantly. Many islanders have purchased fire pumps for their cottages and put together Neighbourhood Groups for assistance in an emergency. But what do you do when the call comes in? “There is a fire on a neighbouring island. Your help is required!” You have a fire pump and you’re ready to go, but what do you do when you get there??
Matt Solecki is a 6th generation cottager in Pointe au Baril and he is very aware of the risk fire poses on the islands. He has worked for BC Wildfire Service for more than 10 years as a Wildfire Technician, leading Initial Attack Crews on many BC Wildfires as well as being a member of the Incident Command Team on several large fires. Matt has worked with PaBIA to develop a series of 6 articles on how cottagers can effectively respond to fires on the islands.
Part 1 – Protecting Your Cottage
Part 1 - Protecting Your Cottage With wildfires becoming an ever-growing concern in Canada, it’s important to understand what can be done to protect your home and property from the risk of wildfires. The most important step in protecting yourself is managing the...
Part 2 – Calling for Help: 310-FIRE (3473)
If a wildfire starts on an island, it’s important to call Ontario wildfire in order to receive additional support. 310-FIRE is the phone number to report a wildfire. When reporting a wildfire, be sure to remain calm and include the following information. Where you...
Part 3 – Personal Protective Equipment
If you’re responding to a wildfire, it’s important to make sure that what you’re wearing is appropriate to the activity. Non-synthetic clothing – When synthetic clothing such as polyester or spandex is exposed to heat it can melt onto you, causing severe burns. While...
Part 4- Hazards Responding to Fires
If you are near a wildfire, or responding to a wildfire, it is important to be able to recognize specific hazards, and hazardous situations. The 3 most common items that cause fatalities from fire are: Small fires or inactive section of a large fire – Fire can change...
Part 5 – Safety Strategy When Fighting a Fire
If you are responding to a fire as part of a community response, please do so with the utmost caution. Fighting a wildfire is an inherently dangerous task that is often best left to professionals who have the appropriate equipment, training, and safety gear to engage...
Part 6 – When Ontario Wildfire Crews Arrive
In the event of a wildfire where Ontario Wildfire has been called, it is important to understand what to expect from them. When they arrive on scene, especially when arriving in a helicopter, the crew will start by orbiting the fire several times in order to get an...
Connecting with Our Neighbours One of the things I value most about Pointe au Baril is the wonderful sense of community. Neighbours are always more than willing to help one another. But how many of us could quickly pull up the contact info of all our nearby cottagers?...
Video on How to Use Honda Water Pump
https://youtu.be/lUnfCJ_y0qg
Emergency Phone Numbers & GPS
Download PDF
Emergency Action Plan
Download Printable PDF COTTAGER MEDICAL EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN Evaluate the situation If calling Emergency services, be prepared to comment so as to rule out (or in)these key factors: Not breathing Does not have a pulse Is bleeding profusely (blood soaks more than 1...
Too Close for Comfort!
The smell of smoke as the wind shifted to the north was the first thing to raise my concern.
Fire Safety Tips from the GBA
Remember we said that the best protection against fire is prevention? Here are two tips lists that have been compiled that give valuable ideas which, if followed, could prevent a fire. We like to think we know how to prevent fires, but it is probable that there are...
Video for How to use a Wajax fire pump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P1YbJKc6Vo
Know How To Run Your Fire Pumps
Do you know where your nearest PaBIA fire pump is from your cottage? If not, find those listed on pages 133-139 of the 2021 Yearbook In the time of a crisis, would you be able to start one of the 4 Wajax pumps? It would be wise to become familiar with them if you are...
In Case of Fire, We Need to Act Fast
Once there is a fire on your property, it’s too late to start figuring out who can help. Knowing who is in your vicinity and has a working Firepump can help you and your neighbours plan for a fire emergency before it happens. Watch this 6 min video - it might save...
PaBIA Emergency Section from 2018 Yearbook
Download Printable Copy [pdf-embedder url="https://pabia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/PaBIA-Emergency-Section-2018.pdf" title="PaBIA Emergency Section 2018"]