By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle
The Oliver Fire Department says new wording around reporting for duty while under the influence is not a result of members’ actions.
In the fire department’s Code of Conduct there is a statement in the fundamental expectation section that reads “never engage in activities involving alcohol or other substance use or abuse that can impair one’s mental state or the performance of one’s duties and compromise safety.”
A request was made to the town by the Fire Chief, Bob Graham, to change the wording to read “never report for duty or respond to any incident while under the influence of alcohol or other substances,” which passed unanimously.
Rob Graham, media relations with the Oliver Fire Department was clear in telling the Times Chronicle that this is not the result of members reporting for duty under the influence.
The purpose of the new wording is to make sure guidelines are in place for members to understand that they do not want members to report in any way to any situation under the influence.
“We are just trying to clear some of that up and make sure that everything is straightforward and everybody understands what’s being requested of them,” Graham explained.
Graham also pointed to the fact that the new wording is providing clarity around situations where the fire department has alcohol on premise at the fire hall.
In these situations where they have alcohol on location, Graham explained, it is because they acquired a liquor license for special occasions and it is stored in a locked room where only a “select committee has access to that”.
The wording is also not just tied to the consumption of alcohol. The wording refers to “the nature of the consumption of alcohol or other substances” and members should not report for duty or attend incidents while under the influence.
Each member of the fire department will have to sign and acknowledge that they have read and understand the Code of Conduct.
