Cowichan Bay Improvement District
4461 Trans Canada Highway V0R 1N1 Cowichan Bay, BC, Canada

Key statements and minutes from Nov 24th ASC meeting. 1. Fire Departments operate under a complex regulatory environment. The framework includes legislation and regulations from WorkSafeBC, the BC Building and Fire Codes, BC Fire Service Minimum Training Standards, and others. Many industry standards and best practices provide guidance to fire departments. This to ensures the facilities and operations are safe and effective. These legislations, regulations and best practices ...have a direct impact on the design and operations of the CBID’s fire station. 2. There is an opportunity to co-locate a community accessible space in the development, should the community support it. Currently Cowichan Bay does not have this type of an amenity, and this is a great opportunity to provide the space either in the expansion of the current facility or new building. 3. Sustainability and operational effectiveness are essential factors in the proposal to improve or replace the facility. It must be environmentally and financially sustainable while providing a safe and effective facility for firefighters and the department. 4. Plans for the future facility need to include the connection to community water and sewer services. The current facility is unable to support refilling of fire trucks, because it’s served by an onsite well that has limited capacity. The current septic field is original from 1978 and is in need of replacement. https://cbid.cbvfr.com//ASC%20Zoom%20Meeting%20Minutes%20N

Interesting story. 3 firefighters from the biggest Department in the province all diagnosed with cancer within 3 years of each other while all working in the same station. Not enough can be said about the importance of workplace Health and Safety for our fire fighters. We need to be better at reducing the exposures and reducing the risks.

Cowichan Bay Fire Hall Requires Upgrades for Safety. The Cowichan Bay Improvement District (CBID) provides oversight to local fire protection services provided by the Cowichan Bay Volunteer Fire Rescue (CBVFR). CBID and CBVFR are financed by taxation however are served entirely by volunteers. The Improvement District is required to provide a Fire Hall that meets legislative requirements including WorkSafe BC workplace requirements..., BC Building and Fire Codes and reflect industry best practices such as those published by the National Fire Protection Association and other criteria. While the current fire hall has provided excellent service and support to our fire department over the past 40 years, it requires significant upgrades to allow its continued and safe use. The Board of Trustees of the Cowichan Bay Improvement District have created a new Community Fire Hall Advisory Select Committee (ASC) to explore Fire Hall renewal options that will meet the community needs and keep our firefighters and equipment safe now and for years to come. The newly struck committee consists of eight members of the community, one Board member, the volunteer Fire Chief and will be chaired by Ernie Polsom, of FireWise Consulting Ltd.. The first meeting will be on November 10, 2020 and it is planned that the committee will meet regularly for three months. The Committee will make recommendations to the CBID Board of Trustees and the Board will base their proposal for the Fire Hall renewal on these recommendations. The final proposal will need to be accepted by the community and is expected to go to referendum mid 2021. For more information and to follow the progress of the ASC meetings, follow us on Facebook or our website at https://cbid.cbvfr.com/committee

~ AGM TONIGHT ~ November 3, 2020 - 7:30pm Cowichan Bay Fire Hall - Upper Meeting Room Enter from the outside stairs on the South side of the Fire Hall FACE COVERINGS REQUIRED... RSVP REQUIRED to [email protected] https://cbid.cbvfr.com/news See more

REMINDER - AGM TOMORROW NIGHT November 3, 2020 - 7:30pm - RSVP REQUIRED to [email protected] https://cbid.cbvfr.com/news