Next Thursday – RDOS directors will debate whether to institute a no-drinking alcohol policy at all fire halls it administers. This policy would govern seven fire volunteer fire departments.
The policy proposes that no alcohol would be stored in such fire halsl and consumption would only be allowed with a special occasion license.
Firehalls in Summerland, Princeton, Penticton, Oliver and Osoyoos are governed by separate policies of each municipality and would not be affected by a RDOS policy.
The Regional District management is telling its directors that a consistent policy is needed around the RDOS but says it fears that many volunteers may leave the fire service if there is no social component allowed.
The Regional District oversees seven volunteer fire departments: Anarchist Mountain, Kaleden, Keremeos, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Tulameen and Willowbrook, which provide local fire protection to specific rural areas within Electoral Areas A, B, C, D, E, G and H. In addition, Municipal and Regional departments also provide fire suppression to specific areas of Indian Band Lands under contract.
The District also contracts with the City of Penticton and the Town of Princeton to provide fire protection to the rural areas of Electoral Areas D-F (rural Penticton) and Electoral Area H (rural Princeton).
911 fire calls for the Okanagan-Similkameen are relayed to a secondary dispatch centre at the No.1 Penticton Fire Hall. At that location Regional Fire Dispatchers handle a multitude of calls from fires, to motor vehicle accidents to medical first response.
Responses:
5 Responses to RDOS – Fire Hall/alcohol use policy
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Olivier Combret says:August 29, 2011 at 7:25 am (Edit)
Next thing you know, the police will set road blocks to make firemen blow! how ridiculous is that!
There is a real disconnect between the people who work hard and the regulators. Not to paraphrase a famous song but…. Hey! RDOS! leave our firemen alone! -
Norma says:August 28, 2011 at 8:03 pm (Edit)
My husband was a Volunteer Fire Chief in Surrey for twenty years where most of there halls were run
by volunteers and never had any problems with them having beer in the halls.These men and women are responsible dedicated to what they do for such little pay . a couple made a mistake and they have more than paid for it now. so move on and let them do what they do best .You could volunteer yourself for the job ? -
Paul Tribbick says:August 28, 2011 at 1:37 pm (Edit)
Here we go again, people making rules for no good reason. Do we have an epidemic of drunk firemen leaving fire practice no! Do we have fire trucks piled up from drunken fire men driving them no! Do we have any evidence that there is a problem with this no! What possible differance can a permit make to the consumtion of alcahol in any one building. Of coarse these people will cite liability, well if you people would stop making stupid laws the lawyers would have less to liable about. You are talking about firemen who are responsible adults and you trust with millions of $ worth of equiptment, why do you think you can’t trust them to drink responsible. The Oliver fire dept has had it’s issue with this. They are stll being punished for something that a few firemen did, and an over reaction of our local elected leaders. It does have an effect on moral. It is getting harder all the time to get people to voluteer, and make no mistake about it, it is a volunteer organization. Keep in mind the averege payed firefighter gets in excess of $80,000 per year the average volunteer fire fighter gets $3,000. Please respect your volunteer fire dept.
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Don says:August 28, 2011 at 7:56 am (Edit)
Once again an example of a Regional District government putting in needless regulations apparently just to assert themselves. This sort of nonsense happens all over the province with this unnecessary level of government which was foisted on us back in the days of Dave Barrett.
I think if you volunteer as a fireman you could be able to have a say in their rules, protocol and culture in the halls. Butt out RDOS.