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West Coast fire departments record 'average' year for 2024

Ucluelet levels off, Tofino Volunteer Fire Dept. sees increase in first responder calls since 2022

Fire departments in the West Coast communities of Ucluelet and Tofino faced an average number of calls in 2024. Ucluelet's statistics have leveled off, while Tofino's are on the rise, according to the fire chiefs for Ucluelet and Tofino Volunteer Fire Departments.

"Our call volume actually decreased slightly from 2023," said Ucluelet Fire Chief Rick Geddes. His department answered 176 calls in 2024, slightly lower than the 184 calls answered in 2023.

Some of those calls were for structure fires, but the growing trend is for more first responder calls. "The majority of our calls are between road rescue and medical calls," said Geddes.

The trend for flatter numbers of calls started at the six-month mark of 2024, when Geddes said his "half-year" stats showed calls were slightly lower than previous years.

Road rescue calls increase in summer, even though Sutton Pass between Port Alberni and Ucluelet-Tofino Junction often sees snow in winter. "People are going slower. Typically we're quite busy in summer—July, August, September," Geddes said.

"This year we were less busy."

Tofino Volunteer Fire Department answered 351 calls in 2024, Fire Chief Mark McKeough said. "Last year we did about 320 calls. Before that we did 270. Calls are on the rise, for sure," said McKeough, who has been chief for a year after volunteering since 2013. "They're increasing significantly in the first responder realm.

"Just about three-quarters of our calls were medical first responder calls. We attended 13 fire-related calls; we did 22 calls involving motor vehicle incidents."

Tofino firefighters were called to 38 false alarms, three hydro-related incidents and 13 classified as "other." The powerful wind storm that hit in December knocked down a big tree between the gas stations just outside of Tofino, cutting off critical access. Volunteers got creative and used the new connector trail between Industrial Way and the community hall to get around the tree.

Tofino's call volume also includes patients arriving at the First Street Dock from Ahousat and Opitsat villages, which are only accessible by boat or plane. "One of the reasons our call volume is so much higher is we respond when patients are transported by boat," McKeough explained.

"We are dispatched to respond."

While the two departments are 40 kilometres away from each other, they often work together on mutual aid calls—especially with structure fires. Tofino covers all the way up the Tofino-Ucluelet Highway until the Long Beach Airport. Ucluelet covers from the airport into the village and from the junction with Highway 4 east to West Coast WILD Zipline. That's the boundary with Port Alberni Fire Department, says Geddes.

"We have to work closely together even though we're only 40 kms apart," said Geddes.

Both department hold weekly fire practices. Last summer Tofino VFD Deputy Chief Damon Johnson organized a mutual aid scenario between both departments as well as BC Ambulance. The training involved "a mass casualty incident involving a bus and a car," McKeough said.

"This also involved several community volunteers and was very well received by all involved."

The training scenario happened weeks after both volunteer departments responded to a fatal plane crash at Long Beach Airport (July 18) where two people died and one was sent to hospital with serious injuries.

Neither department is faced with the toxic drug crisis like their counterparts in Port Alberni, where city council decided first responders will only answer life-threatening "red" and "purple" calls. Port Alberni's fire department has seen its call volume double in the past few years and the move was made to help mitigate first responder burnout.

McKeough said the number of toxic drug calls they have is small, "especially compared to urban centres. When it comes to substance abuse calls (on the West Coast) it seems to be alcohol is one of the main causes. That's anecdotal from what we see.

"We see chest pain, stroke symptoms, those kinds of things."



Susie Quinn

About the Author: Susie Quinn

A journalist since 1987, I have been the Alberni Valley News editor since August 2006.
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