2024 Annual Report Draft

Fire prevention This past year, full-time staff conducted 1,801 fire inspections across the city and the Courtenay Fire Protection District, with the majority of inspected properties found to be free of major fire code or life safety violations. Among the violations identified, the most common issues were burned-out emergency lighting and exit signs, as well as fire extinguishers requiring annual servicing. 181 public safety education events were delivered to residents within the City of Courtenay and the Courtenay Fire Protection District. These events covered a range of important topics, including FireSmart education, neighbourhood emergency preparedness, fire safety talks and fire station tours. Through these initiatives, fire safety awareness and community preparedness is promoted, fostering a stronger culture of safety throughout our region. A valuable educational tool has been renovated with modern updates, thanks to the hard work of Courtenay firefighters. The Fire Safety House is a scaled-down version of a residential home. This mobile educational tool is used by the Courtenay, Cumberland, Oyster River and CFB Comox fire departments to educate children through hands-on fire safety drills. The upgrades to the fire safety house were completed by fire department volunteers from January to April, 2024. The upgrades include new siding, roofing and interior features, allowing the Fire Safety House to continue providing vital fire safety education to children all over the Comox Valley for years to come. Comox Valley fire safety house gets a renovation

Firefighter training

Fire department

Training In 2024, firefighter training remained a top priority, with members dedicating over 4,000 hours to developing their skills in areas such as fire suppression, auto extrication, rope rescue and self-rescue techniques. The W.A. Lane MacDonald Fire Training Centre continues to be an invaluable resource, enabling the department to deliver more in-house training and rely less on third party instructors. This approach helps manage costs while increasing the department’s capacity to offer more frequent training sessions.

Fire department by the numbers 2024 Development Services Team Photo

2020

2021 1,053

2022 1,202

2023 1,455

2024 1,395

Emergency and non-emergency calls

834

Fire inspections Full time staff

1,712

1,761

1,725

1,770

1,801

6

6

7

7

8

Paid-for-call firefighters

50

50 11

50 10

50 20

55 10

Provisional firefighters (waitlist)

8

67

City of Courtenay | 2024 Annual Report