By Lyonel Doherty, Times Chronicle

Now that the Oliver Fire Department responds to medical calls, members are kept much busier.

That was evident last week during a presentation by Fire Chief Bob Graham, who gave town council a rundown on calls since 2018.

He reported the department responded to 187 calls that year, compared to 205 in 2019, 208 the year after, and 303 calls in 2021.

From January to June in 2021, the department had 136 calls, compared to 213 during the same period this year.

Graham said the majority of their calls now relate to first responder medical assists.

“We wanted to do this as a service to the community because of the lack of service by the ambulance. No offence to the local ambulance service, it is the way the province set it up; they’re understaffed and often there is quite a delay in response.”

The fire chief said they have trained the majority of their members in medical first response. He noted that calls within the town this year have reached 91 (as of July 11), compared to 43 last year. In the rural area this year, there have been 97 calls (compared to 64 in 2021).

On Osoyoos Indian Band land, there have been 30 calls this year to date, compared to 27 last year.

Graham said they are carefully evaluating their medical calls and have established a duty crew for evening callouts. This crew consists of one officer and three firefighters who respond from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The team rotates every week, and each team is on duty every six weeks.

The fire chief said members took part in wildfire training with their counterparts in Willowbrook, Kaleden, Keremeos, Okanagan Falls and Anarchist Mountain.

Members also undergo annual fitness training to ensure they are fit for service, he pointed out.

Graham showed council a slideshow depicting some of the motor vehicle accidents they attended.

One included a farm tractor rollover on Highway 97 north of town. He said the operator got too close to the edge of the road and the tractor rolled and trapped him underneath.

“With that mower on it, it was a very difficult rescue. They actually brought in a helicopter to transport the victim.”

The chief said they do a lot of training on these types of calls, which ironically tend to happen after these particular training sessions.

Graham noted that someone donated a tractor to the department, which members use to practise extrication techniques.

Other photos he showed council depicted last year’s wildfire and a structure fire they attended. The chief mentioned they are able to put out some structure fires rather quickly, but others take more time.

Graham detailed the work the department does in the community, such as donating to the food bank and organizing the give-away of smoke alarms.

He thanked council for its continued support, saying the department would not be as well-equipped and trained as it is without the Town’s backing. He noted that visiting fire departments often comment on how impressed they are with the fire hall and its equipment, and the level of training that members receive. For example, swift water rescue and advanced auto extrication.

“Our philosophy is to send people out to receive advanced training so they can come back and train the rest of the department.”

Councillor Petra Veintimilla asked Graham how the first responder program works. He explained that if someone dials 911 for a heart attack (purple call), the fire department and ambulance are dispatched. The calls are colour coded by severity, for example, purple is immediate life threatening while red is potentially life threatening.

The chief said the department will respond to red if there is a delay in ambulance response. He recalled that firefighters responded to an overturned vehicle on Fairview Road, but they had to wait for an ambulance to come from Keremeos. He noted it’s not uncommon for an ambulance to be delayed for 10 to 20 minutes.

“They are short staffed a lot of the time,” Graham said, expressing his hope that the province will hire more paramedics, but he’s not holding his breath.

Mayor Martin Johansen offered sincere thanks to Graham and the department for “always being there to help people in need.”