Kamloops Fire Rescue Annual Report 2023 by city_of_kamloops

KAMLOOPS FIRE RESCUE

Our Mission

Kamloops Fire Rescue is committed to protecting our community through fire suppression, rescue, pre-hospital care, public education, and fire prevention .

Our Vision

To consistently provide a full level of service throughout our entire community through the responsible use of our resources

Our Values

Safety, Service, Public Trust, and Teamwork are at the root of who we are and guide our actions, behaviours, and interactions with citizens, partners, and each other .

Our Slogan

“Our Family Helping Your Family” is our commitment to you

Our Areas of Service

Kamloops Fire Rescue provides fire dispatch services to the City of Kamloops, Tkemlúps te Secwépemc, Thompson-Nicola Regional District Fire Protection Services, and the City of Castlegar Fire Department . Our team provides a dedicated response to citizens within the Kamloops and Tkemlúps te Secwépemc communities and motor vehicle incidents on rural or provincial roadways near or within Kamloops city limits

Our Staff

Kamloops Fire Rescue is made up of 166 dedicated staff who work extremely hard every day to ensure that the communities we serve are as safe as possible . No matter who, when, or why someone calls for our help, our staff make sure we can respond in a timely and professional manner to assist those in need As a full-service composite fire service, Kamloops Fire Rescue is a workforce dependent on varied people and experiences, including paid on-call firefighters, career firefighters, and non-firefighting staff

Fire Station No

FIRE CHIEF’S MESSAGE

I am very pleased to present the 2023 Kamloops Fire Rescue Service Annual Report showcasing the great work, accomplishments, trends, and performance over the last year .

This year marked my first full year as Fire Chief, and I could not be more proud or humbled that I get to work for a department and staff that are so dedicated to serving their citizens and community .

2023 continued the trend from the previous year and saw a steady increase in requests for service, with a total of 10,869 calls, a 5% increase over 2022 . The largest part of that increase was due to a 10% climb in the number of medical calls that Kamloops Fire Rescue responded to . In 2023, medical calls accounted for 66% (up from 63%) of all calls we responded to, for a total of 7,162 responses Fire and fire-related calls increased from the previous year with an 8% jump, including a 16% increase in actual fires over 2022 All other incident classes saw decreased call volumes, which kept the overall call increase to single digits

2023 marked the worst wildfire season in Canada’s history Luckily, Kamloops was spared from any direct impact, but Kamloops Fire Rescue was called upon to help other communities affected, and we answered that call . I am so very proud of everyone for the great work they did to support our partners at BC Wildfire Service, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, the City of Kelowna, the City of West Kelowna, and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District From the first day assistance was requested, our members stepped up to deploy and staff trucks, provide extra maintenance services, resource equipment, provide education and communication to citizens, and organize, schedule, and implement plans . Kamloops Fire Rescue deployed trucks and crews to Fort St . John, Kelowna, and the Shuswap while conducting tactical patrols on the Rossmore Lake fire . These efforts went over and above the usual great work done by staff and demonstrated our commitment to our values of safety, service, public trust, and teamwork . Kamloops Fire Rescue supported many community and public engagement events this year, including Overlanders Days, the Polar Plunge, Emergency Services Day, the Juniper Ridge Evacuation Route Tour, McHappy Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, the North Shore Business Improvement Association Christmas Celebration, and Remembrance Day . And who could forget the Santa Clause Parade and, new for Kamloops Fire Rescue this year, the Pride Parade

I have witnessed many examples of and received notes of thanks for the caring and professional members who demonstrate our values and deliver our commitment of “Our Family Helping Your Family” to citizens We look forward to continuing to serve Kamloops, Tkemlúps te Secwépemc, and our community

Thank you/Kukwstsétsemc,

Ken Uzeloc, Fire Chief

Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc

TRENDS WE ARE WATCHING

5% increase in call volume over 2022

16% increase in fires over 2022

21% decrease in automated external defibrillator use

76% Kamloops Fire Rescue arrived on scene before BC Ambulance Service

10,394 responses in Kamloops

89 responses outside City boundary

10% increase in medical calls over 2022

3 minute 5 second average time on scene before BC Ambulance Service

386 responses on Tkemlúps te Secwépemc lands

66% of all calls were medical (63% in 2022)

15% increase in burning complaints

44 public education events (34 in 2022)

2,941 fire inspections completed (2,716 in 2022)

1,800 people engaged in life safety education (2,089 in 2022)

Incidents We Responded To

24% of time Fire Inspector follow-up required

84 FireSmart inspection requests (114 in 2022)

1 fire-related civilian injuries Kamloops (0 in 2022)

0 fire-related civilian injuries Tkemlúps te Secwépemc (0 in 2022)

16% of inspections resulted in violations

25% increase in naloxone administered calls

0 fire-related civilian deaths Kamloops (1 in 2022)

0 fire-related civilian deaths Tkemlúps te Secwépemc (0 in 2022)

75 structure fire investigations completed (82 in 2022)

97,902 citizens protected 2021 Census (90,280 in 2016)

Kamloops Fire Rescue continued to respond to increased call volume in 2023, seeing a 5 3% increase in the number of calls compared to 2022, totalling 10,869 calls for service This resulted in crews being unavailable more often and for longer periods than in previous years, impacting our performance and reliability of staff availability . Figure 1 shows the breakdown of the response by the major incident classification A comparison between 2023 and 2022 is listed in Table 1 . Table 2 identifies the call volumes based on the different response districts . Fire Station No . 2 (Brocklehurst) continues to be our busiest station, with 3,700 calls for service . All response districts saw an increase in demand for service except for Fire Station No 7 (Aberdeen), which saw a 4 .5% decrease in demand .

Table 1 Major Incident Classification Trending

2023 Response by Major Incident Classification

Figure 1: 2023 Response by Major Incident Classification

Medical Responses

Consistent with other fire services across Canada, Kamloops Fire Rescue saw the number of medical-related calls we responded to in 2023 steadily rise Medical responses accounted for 66% of the calls Kamloops Fire Rescue responded to, representing 7,162 calls This response type increased by 10% from 2022 As Kamloops continues to see challenges with our health care system, these impacts contribute to the rise in medical response . The first contributing factor was steady increases in the response types requiring critical life-threatening intervention, the key driver to Kamloops Fire Rescue assisting BC Emergency Health Services, as listed in Table 3 . Another contributing factor is when an ambulance is unavailable or delayed due to demand or other response priorities . This results in Kamloops Fire Rescue being dispatched to lower acuity calls due to limited BC Emergency Health Services resources

The main drivers of the increase in medical calls were related to breathing problems (22% increase), unknown person down (23% increase), stroke, transient ischemic attack (146% increase), and heart problem calls (28% increase) Secondary drivers were related to overdose/poisoning (12 7% increase) and unconscious person calls (12 .5% increase) . As a result of the continual increase in overdose-related responses, Kamloops Fire Rescue also saw the number of events where our crews administered naloxone increase to 130 calls, a 25% increase over 2022 .

Kamloops Fire Rescue members began upgrading their medical scope of practice in 2023 to be better prepared to manage the increased criticality and volume of medical calls that we respond to This phased-in training for firefighters to move from the first responder scope of practice to an emergency medical responder scope will take place over three years . It is anticipated that enough firefighters will be trained by the end of 2024 for Kamloops Fire Rescue to make the switch in practice .

Table 3 Critical Life-Threatening Medical Call Trending

A naloxone kit

Fire and Fire-Related Responses

Table 4 shows fire and fire-related responses, including fire alarm calls, fire investigation or burning complaints, structure fires, interface fires, car fires, and other fires, accounted for 21% of Kamloops Fire Rescue responses Fire and fire-related incidents overall increased in 2023 by 8% . This was attributed to the number of burning complaints increasing by 15% to 779 responses this year, with many attributed to people experiencing homelessness or living on the street using fires for cooking and warmth . There was also a 30% increase in other fire types, accounting for 284 responses . 2023 saw a decrease in interface and structure fires by 23% and 3%, respectively Although there were significant wildfires across the province and immediately around Kamloops, we were fortunate that the number of interface fires decreased in Kamloops This is due to the extra caution citizens take and some preventative measures the City takes to reduce hazards .

The top two causes of all fires Kamloops Fire Rescue responded to in 2023 were suspicious in nature and related to human activity Cooking, electrical, and smoking-related fires remain the leading causes of structure fires Total fire loss costs within the Kamloops response area were $5,138,440, an 80% increase from 2022 The total value saved by Kamloops Fire Rescue was $593,342,737, a 99% save rate . The total fire loss costs in the Tkemlúps te Secwépemc response area were $342,545, a 35% decrease from 2022 The total value saved by Kamloops Fire Rescue was $10,357,455 which is a 97% save rate .

Table 4 . Fire and Fire-Related Response Trending

Large Abandoned Building Fire

Fire Fatalities and Injuries

Civilian fire-related injuries increased to one within Kamloops in 2023, with zero reported injuries within the Tkemlúps te Secwépemc response area Fortunately, this year, there were zero civilian fire-related fatalities in the Kamloops response area, decreasing from one the previous year . There were also zero fire fatalities in the Tkemlúps te Secwépemc response area, the same as 2022 .

Rescues

Calls for rescues decreased by 19% in 2023, accounting for 104 responses The largest portion of rescue calls are for response outside city boundaries for motor vehicle incidents Kamloops Fire Rescue provides support for rural or provincial roadways, making up 81% of the responses . Water, ice, and rope rescues made up the remainder of the rescue responses .

Large Abandoned Building Fire

Youth fire fighter training

Crews Training on Ice Rescue

FINANCIAL COMMITTMENTS

Budget

The 2023 Kamloops Fire Rescue operating budget was $22 .6 million, compared to $20 9 million in 2022

The 8 .1% budget increase was mainly due to the Council-approved supplemental business case to fully staff Fire Station No . 4 (Westsyde) and inflationary pressures on fuel and core materials Salaries and wages accounted for 81% of the total budget Included in the budget was $1 .0 million in capital reserve funding towards future asset replacement, such as major apparatus, vehicles, and key large equipment needed to maintain operations

KFR 2023 Operating Budget

Fire operations (rescue and suppression activities) accounted for 71 .9% of the total operating budget, with mechanical, administration, and fire prevention making up 7 .1%, 5 .7%, and 4 .2%, respectively . Kamloops Fire Rescue dispatch costs were 7 .6% of the operating budget . The Dispatch Centre provides fire dispatch services to the City of Kamloops, Tkemlúps te Secwépemc, Thompson-Nicola Regional District Fire Protection Services, and the City of Castlegar Fire Department

The training division, paid on-call program, and the training centre operations made up the remainder of the operating budget

For 2023, the capital budget was $3 .04 million, a 3 .5% decrease from the 2022 capital budget ($3 .15 million) . This included $1 .36 million for a front-line engine that will be received in 2024, $524,000 for new digital handheld radios, $450,000 for the next-generation dispatch upgrade project, and $260,000 for a wildland engine . Kamloops Fire Rescue received a $3 million provincial grant to offset the multi-year project of transitioning the dispatch system to next-generation 911 technology

Fire protection costs to the public for Kamloops Fire Rescue services equate to an average of approximately $460 a year per taxable property, or $38 .33 per month . Kamloops Fire Rescue’s budget is responsible for 13 .94% of the City of Kamloops operating budget

Figure 2: 2023 Kamloops Fire Rescue Operating Budget

2023 Municipal tax payment brekdown for an average representative house in Kamloops $707,800 (estimated municipal taxes of $2,626)

Figure 6 . 2023 KFR Component of Total City Budget

OUR PEOPLE

Kamloops Fire Rescue’s key to success is dependent and based on the people that we employ . With that in mind, our overarching goal is to ensure our members have safe and healthy careers from recruitment to their last shift . This is done by ensuring they are trained and competent to perform their roles, providing protective equipment and safe work guidance, and protecting and monitoring their physical and psychological well-being from the effects of workplace exposures and hazards

Health, Safety, and Wellness

In 2023, as part of the Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative, 106 members were scheduled for their periodic medicals, and 93% were completed . The incomplete medicals were due to absence from the workplace or last-minute scheduling issues

Mental health continues to be a constant concern in the fire service In 2023, Kamloops Fire Rescue implemented standard screening questionnaires as part of the medical program for anxiety and depression . Kamloops Fire Rescue conducted 20 formal critical incident stress management defusing/debriefing sessions and 53 on-site sessions with staff due to events they attended Members continued to work through the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Resilient Minds training program, which is designed to build psychological strength . All Kamloops Fire Rescue staff participated in level 1 of First Responder Health’s BC Fire Fighter Occupational Awareness Training program .

In 2023, Kamloops Fire Rescue assisted members in accessing 192 support sessions through a third-party counselling service, a 7% increase . Since this program started in July 2019, 69 members have received assistance through 872 sessions . Kamloops Fire Rescue had zero psychological-related claims in 2023, which is a 100% decrease over the previous year . Other safety indicators tracked related to staff safety for 2023 were that Kamloops Fire Rescue experienced 21 first aid incidents, 3 medical aid incidents, and 6 lost time incidents .

Participants of the IAFF Responding to the Interface Course

Recruitment, Retention, and Retirements

In 2023, four retirements and one resignation from Kamloops Fire Rescue set the 2023 turnover rate at 4%, with the retirement rate being 2 .7% of that total . Compared to 2022, this represents a 57% decrease in turnover .

Kamloops Fire Rescue conducted a recruitment campaign in summer 2023 for career firefighters, and 134 applications were received .

From the applications received, 77 applicants met the qualifications and moved forward to the aptitude test, where 50 applicants successfully moved to a first interview via video From there, 32 candidates completed the physical testing, with 25 successfully passing the physical and given an in-person interview From the interview process, 14 individuals made it onto the eligibility list .

Training

Kamloops Fire Rescue staff completed over 16,600 hours of training in 2023, an increase of 7,600 hours from 2022 . This represents an 84% increase . 2023 was a year that saw Kamloops Fire Rescue focus on specialty training to add to the existing competencies and abilities of firefighters to mitigate emergency incidents Specialty training in 2023 included elevator awareness, smooth bore nozzle, forcible entry, emergency vehicle operations, wildland interface, responding to the interface, respectful workplace, and anti-bullying and harassment training . In addition to these courses, staff completed 222 hours of rope rescue training, 78 hours of confined space training, 70 hours of vehicle extrication training, and 160 hours of hazardous materials training . Instructors also rolled out the Emergency Medical Responder training to increase the scope of practice Kamloops Fire Rescue can perform at medical events

Graduating Class of New Recruits

SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation

Kamloops Fire Rescue is committed to supporting all citizens living in the communities we serve and everyone working on our team . No matter what role a Kamloops Fire Rescue member plays, their contribution is as valued as the next member and helps us deliver great services As with any team, the more diverse and experienced the skills and talents of our members are, the more successful we can be

For the first time in our history, Kamloops Fire Rescue participated in the 2023 Pride Parade to show our support for the Pride community and reinforce that we are here to serve all citizens who need our help

2023 was also the first year for Kamloops Fire Rescue to start promoting firefighting as a career and engaging underrepresented groups Working with School District No 73, Kamloops Fire Rescue hosted a one-day Girls Boot Camp for high school-aged females to learn about firefighting and participate in activities to experience what a firefighter does

Kamloops Fire Rescue continued to collaborate with Tkemlúps te Secwépemc on ways to improve fire safety on Tkemlúps te Secwépemc lands, understand Indigenous culture and customs, advance our relationship, and further our reconciliation efforts

Crews Participating in the Pride Parade

Students Practising Extrication at the Girl’s Boot camp

Emergency Response Performance

Kamloops Fire Rescue provides its various services from nine facilities The Training Centre and the Apparatus and Fleet Maintenance Centre provide key support to ensure firefighters can respond when called upon In addition to emergency responders, Kamloops Fire Rescue administration, dispatch, and fire prevention staff operate out of Fire Station No 1 (Sahali) Kamloops Fire Rescue provides front-line emergency response services from seven fire stations made up of 24/7 full-time and paid on-call staff across the city Table 7 identifies the fire station locations and the staffing model used in each station

If a request for service is received for a paid on-call station, the paid on-call staff are paged out to attend to the station, muster, and respond when a full crew is assembled The closest available career crew is also dispatched in the event a POC response is not available . This response and deployment model is why Kamloops Fire Rescue uses two different response time targets for assessing performance . In 2023, the staffing model was changed in Fire Station No . 4 (Westsyde) from a combination of career and paid on-call staff to a fully staffed career station We want to thank the paid on-call firefighters who had worked out of Fire Station No 4 for their many years of service and dedication to the citizens of Westsyde and Kamloops

Kamloops Fire Rescue has identified response time targets for the arrival of the first responding unit to all incident types based on urban/suburban and rural/remote categories The target for urban/suburban areas of Kamloops is for Kamloops Fire Rescue to arrive on scene in 7 minutes and 30 seconds from the time the 911 call is answered, 90% of the time For rural/remote areas of Kamloops, our target is to arrive on scene in 15 minutes and 45 seconds from the time the 911 call is answered, 80% of the time A percentile is used instead of an average, as it better represents what citizens can reliably expect from Kamloops Fire Rescue for a response time

Kamloops Fire Rescue met its response time target for urban/suburban response 79% of the time in 2023, an increase in performance of 3 3% from the previous year, as shown in Table 8 Similarly, there was also an increase of 18% from 2022 to 2023 for rural/remote response performance, with Kamloops Fire Rescue meeting our target 58 12% of the time This means that Kamloops Fire Rescue took less time to arrive on scene of an emergency event when requested . Part of this increase is attributed to the change in staffing at Fire Station No . 4 (Westsyde) to fully staffed, which required fewer additional resources to support their responses and improved reliability throughout the system

Table 8 Response Time Performance

Table 4 Fire Station Locations and Deployment Model

Fire Dispatch

In 2023, Kamloops Fire Rescue dispatch experienced a 3% decrease in total calls for service from the previous year However, the Dispatch Centre fielded 12% more 911 calls than in 2022 . 911 call answer times were generally steady but did show a slight drop in the months when 911 calls spiked compared to 2022 numbers The number of incidents dispatched for Tkemlúps te Secwépemc, Thompson-Nicola Regional District Fire Protection Services, and the City of Castlegar Fire Department clients dropped in 2022, but there was a 0 7% increase in 2023 .

The Dispatch Centre fielded 29,369 emergency calls in 2023 . As shown in Table 9, Emergency Communications Operators initiated emergency or non-emergency action for 26,116 of the calls . The other 3,253 calls did not require action from Emergency Communications Operators or were transferred to another agency for action .

Table 9 . Actionable Calls Received

Dispatch staff in front of monitors at the call centre

Fire Inspection and Enforcement

Kamloops Fire Rescue completed 2,941 fire inspections in 2023, an 8 3% increase over 2022 The Fire Prevention Office also conducted 157 plan reviews for new developments over and above the required inspections Fire Investigators completed 75 fire investigations to determine the origin and cause of structure fires so safety education efforts could be amended based fire trends and ensure compliance with the requirements of the Fire Safety Act The Fire Prevention Office reported 446 fires to the office of the Fire Commissioner, as required under the Fire Safety Act .

The Fire Prevention Office worked with businesses and property owners to upgrade 246 lockboxes to a more secure and trackable system Firefighters use lockboxes to access a building or business’s main door and key areas, such as elevators and alarm and sprinkler rooms . This allows firefighters to get access at any time of day without needing a building representative and without having to use forcible entry, thus reducing damage costs and the time to mitigate emergencies .

Fleet and Equipment

Kamloops Fire Rescue emergency vehicle technicians completed 89 preventative maintenance services with 97% compliance Preventative maintenance service on Engine 2, our busiest vehicle, was overdue by 28 hours in the first quarter of 2023 due to technician holidays over the 2022 Christmas period In the third quarter of 2023, two preventative maintenance services were exceeded due to the apparatus being deployed for provincial firefighting activities and a failure to collect accurate hour meter readings at more frequent intervals . Adjustments have been made to ensure compliance issues do not result again in 2024 .

Supply chain issues have decreased, and parts procurement lead times have improved However, inflationary pressures continue to cause unprecedented increases in parts pricing, which has had a negative effect on all budgets

Fleet Services did not take possession of any new apparatus in 2023 . However, we continued the build-out of a new engine, aerial platform, and bush truck, which are all anticipated to arrive in 2024 Fleet Services ordered two new engines in 2023, with arrival expected in the first quarter of 2025 These new engines will come with two-stage pumps, a first for Kamloops Fire Rescue These engines are designed to respond to the high-rise buildings being built in Kamloops

Kamloops Fire Rescue uses a mix of expected front-line use and reserve use for our apparatus life cycle planning . Each apparatus type is identified for a total life expectancy, and the front-line/reserve ratio is based on type, usage, National Fire Protection Association and manufacturer recommendations, and wear and tear Table 11 identifies Kamloops Fire Rescue’s apparatus and fleet inventory, average age, and the percent compliance within our life cycle targets In 2023, the jet boat had its engine rebuilt and a new tunnel installed This will conceivably add 10 or more years to its useful lifespan

Table 11 Kamloops Fire Rescue Apparatus and Fleet Inventory

Tower 2 Being Serviced in the Mechanical Shop

Public Education

At Kamloops Fire Rescue, public education is one of our top priorities Teaching fire safety to our great community members offers us the chance to show what Kamloops Fire Rescue does and to share invaluable information that can provide the tools to help people stay safe in an emergency

In 2023, the Fire Prevention staff created and supported 44 events, reaching approximately 1,800 people with our messaging Our events include various topics, including home fire safety, fire extinguisher training, fire drills and proper evacuation procedures, student safety, and cooking safety In addition to these long-standing topics, FireSmart has become a very important and requested topic of discussion Throughout 2023, Kamloops Fire Rescue completed 84 home FireSmart assessments, including detached homes, apartment buildings, and strata properties

Building off of 2022’s successes, Kamloops Fire Rescue is a community partner with School District No 73 and is involved in its Youth Fire Setter program When requested by a School District No 73 staff member, a Fire Prevention member will meet with the student to discuss and highlight the importance of fire safety In 2023, the Fire Prevention Office completed four interviews In 2023, Kamloops Fire Rescue installed close to 100 smoke alarms in homes throughout the city

Kamloops Fire Rescue continues to have a strong social media presence, as shown in Table 12 We maximize these platforms to enhance our public education efforts and reach as many citizens as possible to ensure a safe community Table 12 Kamloops Fire Rescue 2023 Social Media Stats