2560 replies to this topic

[sebberry]

Make sure you print a copy of this article for the next AGM.

 

Would have to get council to put a pet bylaw resolution on the agenda and there's no way in hell they'll do that again.

[Victoria Watcher]

i wonder how the dog got out.  small dog.  not a ground-floor unit.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 November 2021 - 07:57 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

oh hold on:

 

 

 

The fire was discovered by one of the building’s residents, who was on her way to look after a neighbour’s cat. As she was walking down the hall, she heard a whimpering sound behind the door of the apartment. When she opened the door to investigate, the Pomeranian rushed out, along with a wall of smoke.

[sebberry]

Our strata reversed a decision to upgrade our fire panel and install in-suite horns.  We have no pets for anyone to be walking around checking on so the chance someone will die in a fire in my building is high.

 

I'm of two minds about smoking rules in private homes.  I'm not a fan of unreasonable restrictions on one's use of their home, hence why I'm opposed to pet and rental restrictions (with conditions) so my 'my home is my castle' mantra is at odds with my belief smoking should be prohibited in all multi-unit buildings.  Ultimately I think the risk is too great relative to the benefits.  This tragedy is another example of why places are going non-smoking. 

[Mike K.]

During a fire you want to be at floor level, so the dog’s small size inadvertently saved its life.

[Matt R.]

So that’s two deadly fires in one week.

We had a death in a house fire on salt spring yesterday as well. I haven’t heard the cause of death, or cause of the fire, terrible news.

Matt.

[pontcanna]

We had a death in a house fire on salt spring yesterday as well. I haven’t heard the cause of death, or cause of the fire, terrible news.
 

 

You mean Saturday? Or has there been another one?

 

https://www.gulfisla...ts-in-fatality/

[todd]

If you’re a smoker one of these or something similar is a good idea: https://havenfiresafety.com/ (from dragons' den).

I’m guessing an apartment building of that age did not have a sprinkler system.

Edited by todd, 02 November 2021 - 04:20 PM.

[Matt R.]

You mean Saturday? Or has there been another one?
 
https://www.gulfisla...ts-in-fatality/

Oh, that must be the same one yes. I’m on vacation, days are blurring together.

Matt.

[Victoria Watcher]

Emergency crews were called to 840 Johnson St. for a structure fire Friday morning.

Smoke was visible on the third floor of the building, said Victoria Fire Department battalion chief Brian Elvedahl. When crews arrived the sprinkler system had initially knocked down the fire.

Crew members entered the building and put out the fire. The affected floor was pressurized to remove smoke from the air.


https://www.vicnews....street-traffic/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 November 2021 - 10:30 AM.

[sebberry]

Emergency crews were called to 840 Johnson St. for a structure fire Friday morning.

 

 

Where?

 

[Victoria Watcher]

they meant 844 I suppose.

Luckily they had other units in reserve to move them to.

[Victoria Watcher]

British Columbia’s 911 operators will no longer stay on the phone with people seeking emergency services as they wait to get transferred to ambulance dispatchers. 

 

The move, announced by E-Comm 911 management Wednesday, came after rising wait times, made worse by ongoing flooding, have left emergency dispatchers tied up on the phone for minutes at a time. 

 

The temporary measure means anyone calling 911 will be told they are in the queue for an ambulance but that the 911 call-taker must disconnect so they can answer other calls. The new procedures will be reviewed on a monthly basis, according to an E-Comm press release.

 

 

https://www.timescol...callers-4820585

[Nparker]

...The temporary measure ... will be reviewed on a monthly basis,

Is this "temporary" as in the Province's brief flirtation with no masks indoors, or temporary as in income taxes being used to fund the first world war?

[AllseeingEye]

Dumb, as anyone with a knowledge of contact centers will tell you, and I've set up and managed a few of them.

 

There is a reason these facilities have call analysis, reporting and forecast teams, and as I'm certain E-Comm's must be telling them internally call volumes, trends and projections are only rising not only in the aftermath of this years extraordinary weather - which I'm fairly confident will become "ordinary" in a relatively short time frame - but also as we have seen with the recent floods, and perhaps more to the point, BC's critical infrastructure has not been remotely maintained and upgraded to the standard required of it as climate change relentlessly bears down on it. Go look at some of the online drone footage to get a true sense of the scale of the destruction of some of the interior highways.

 

Consequently a crucial response center, especially if its the primary such facility for over 5 million citizens, must be staffed and funded accordingly to meet current and future call volumes which are only going to increase over time.

 

Scrambling to come up with ad hoc. on-the-fly solutions including literally having a 911 operator hang up on a frantic caller while routing them to a Hold queue - potentially dozens or hundreds of such calls as a consequence of a localized or even widespread emergency - will not result in good or positive outcomes for anyone....

[Victoria Watcher]

Seems to me this would be a great place for volunteers.  Even home-based.

 

A volunteer on the line - even with rudimentary training - would be better than hanging up.

 

And what more noble service could one want to provide than the wellbeing of fellow citizens in distress.  Seems like wins all around.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 December 2021 - 07:02 AM.

[lanforod]

^ disagree. This really requires proper training and expertise. A volunteer could inadvertently cause more problems.

[Sparky]

I think most if not all municipal fire departments in the CRD switched their call centres over to Surrey this past week.

I’m no expert but I have to wonder if this has been thought all the way through.

Cost effective? Maybe. Smart? Not so sure.

A major emergency event encompassing a number of municipalities all at once could result in chaos when all the eggs are in one 911 basket.

[Victoria Watcher]

^ disagree. This really requires proper training and expertise. A volunteer could inadvertently cause more problems.

The alternative, as laid out here, is hanging up on the caller. Someone with next to no training is better than that.

[Victoria Watcher]

A major emergency event encompassing a number of municipalities all at once could result in chaos when all the eggs are in one 911 basket.

You’re on your own at that point anyway. Many first responders and call centre staff will not go to work, they will be taking care of their own homes and families.

And with the sheer volume,

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 December 2021 - 08:57 AM.