2023 Courtenay Annual Report

Public Safety

Courtenay Fire Department 2023 New Recruits Grad

Fire Prevention Full time Fire Department staff conducted 1,770 fire inspections in the city and fire protection districts, most of which were found to be free of any major fire code or life safety violations. Code violations included burned out emergency lighting and exit signs or fire extinguishers that required annual servicing. Members completed a renovation of the Fire Safety House, which delivered valuable fire safety training in 2023 to over 600 students attending elementary schools within the City of Courtenay and Courtenay Fire Protection District. This renovation included turning one of the bedrooms into a kitchen which allowed instructors to deliver a more comprehensive kitchen safety program, as well as replacing the roof, siding and windows that were originally installed in the mid 1980s.

Training 2023 was a very busy year for firefighter training, with members investing over 3,700 hours on subjects including fire suppression, auto extrication, rope rescue and self-rescue techniques. The W.A. Lane MacDonald Fire Training Centre in East Courtenay continues to be a valuable asset to the department by greatly enhancing skill levels of firefighters and reducing the recruit training period Our community owes a debt of gratitude to the exceptional residents who volunteer their time, skills, and courage as firefighters. Their unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents is truly commendable, and we are honored to have such selfless individuals protecting and serving our community. from 18 months to 12 months. Thank you to Firefighters

Fire Department by the Numbers

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Emergency calls

566 240

553 281

740 313

871 331

913 542

Duty calls

Fire inspections Full time staff

1,608

1,712

1,761

1,725

1,770

6

6

6

7

7

Paid-for-call firefighters

46

50

50 11

50 10

50 20

Provisional firefighters (waitlist)

8

8

75

City of Courtenay | 2023 Annual Report