Structure fires made up less than two per cent of total calls for service in Nanaimo for Fire Rescue crews in 2022. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

FIRST RESPONSE

Call volumes continue steady increase for Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews

Jan 5, 2023 | 6:15 AM

NANAIMO — The days are getting busier for local firefighters.

According to data from the City’s website, Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews responded to 9,650 calls for service in 2022, representing a 30.5 per cent increase over in 2021.

Fire Chief Tim Doyle told NanaimoNewsNOW many factors are at play for the busier work days which see an average of 26 calls per day.

“Obviously our city is growing, City of Nanaimo population is right around 100,000 people…it’s very robust growth and projecting to be strong growth all the way through 2046. That’s clearly one driver of our incidents increasing.”

Doyle added the ongoing public health emergency around toxic drugs is also a major factor. Medical aid calls have accounted for roughly 55 per cent of total call volumes since 2017.

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The remainder is a mixture of motor vehicle incidents, structure fires, activated fire alarms, burning complaints and a variety of other requests for help.

Doyle said the large portion of their time devoted to medical aid prompted local crews to begin upgrading their skills.

“We are EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) trained, it’s a higher level than what we used to be, a first responder level. We’ve completed year three of our five-year transition and that is to bring us to a higher level of responder care. That’s really helping to support our community’s safety when we respond to them for medical calls.”

A graph of total call outs for Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews between 2018 and 2022, according to the City of Nanaimo’s website. (NanaimoNewsNOW illustration)

Wear and tear on firefighters is apparent with the Canadian Mental Health Association finding those in the service have a 30 per cent higher rate of suicide than the general population.

The International Association of Firefighters also found between 16 and 37 per cent of professionals will experience post-traumatic stress challenges related to their work.

Supports remain readily available according to Doyle for local firefighters who need them, noting there is a “strong emphasis” on mental health support.

Attempts to reduce the increasing challenges for firefighters are underway.

Through its annual budget discussions, Council has supported adding 20 firefighters in 2023 and another 20 in 2025.

Final approval of the budget is still pending, so the personnel additions are not guaranteed until budget adoption in the spring.

A bigger force will reduce the number of calls per firefighter and bring the Nanaimo department closer in terms of manpower to ones of similar coverage areas.

“It will provide excellent coverage in the downtown core and throughout the city. The units will be positioned at stations one and two, which is right in the core of the city, so they’re perfectly positioned to respond to where the majority of our calls are.”

Doyle said conditions for their past and current recruitment have been favourable, with positions filled by quality applicants.

“There’s a lot of young men and women that want an opportunity to help the community, and they see the fire service as an optimal way to serve their community. Our experience has been that we’ve had strong interest in our recruitment for our fire department.”

Doyle added Nanaimo Fire Rescue typically responds to more calls for service than many of its peer departments, but with fewer manpower resources.

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