Tracy Sim, Times-Chronicle

Osoyoos Fire Rescue reports a busier fourth quarter than normal due to an extended cold spell that took a physical toll on fire suppression systems.

OFR Chief, Corey Kortmeyer, presented his quarterly report to the Osoyoos town council on Feb. 8, 2022.  In his report to council, Kortmeyer stated that the final quarter of 2021, from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, involved 56 emergency calls for an annual total of 273 calls. 

The extended cold snap and unusual temperature fluctuations affected many fire suppression systems in the town that resulted in a false alarm rate of 80 per cent, largely due to failing equipment.

On the bright side, OFR maintained an average response time of 6:22 which means his department has met a standard of at least 10 minutes per call.  “This is really good news for insurers and their underwriters”, Kortmeyer stated. 

In the fourth quarter, OFR completed 71.50 hours of training that covered 60 topics.  Annually, Kortmeyer reports that his department completed 548 hours of training, covering 212 topics that support the department’s state of readiness.

Grade three students at Osoyoos Elementary School were given a fire safety demonstration that focused on residential fire and life safety.  Students were given a homework assignment where they had to develop a home safety plan with their families. 

And grade ten students from Osoyoos Secondary were given an educational class at Firehall #1 on firefighting as a career.  Students learned the importance of maintaining good physical fitness and how they could volunteer with OFR while they plot their career toward a full-time job.

COVID-19 continues to limit how OFR can interact with the public.  Though the Fire Inspection program was functional in the final quarter.  Kortmeyer stated in his written report that it was common to visit properties on more than one occasion to ensure compliance with the B.C. Fire Code.  The most common infractions were related to fire extinguishers, emergency lighting annual service requirements, and unacceptable locations for storage.

The stats for inspections over all look like this:

  • Inspections completed in the quarter – 59
  • Re-inspections required – 6
  • Unsatisfactory items – 1385
  • Satisfactory items – 790
  • Inspections completed to date – 102
  • Total inspectable properties – 267

In his budget synopsis, Kortmeyer noted that the wildfire situation and higher call volumes may trend costs above normal.  Osoyoos Mayor, Sue McKortoff, summarized that public education continues to be a key factor in community fire safety going forward.