Meet our Members: Colin Hanes

This week on Meet our Members, we interview Colin Hanes!

CFR: Could you provide a brief background of your fire service career?

All I wanted to do was drop off a Christmas tree! Almost 4 years ago I brought my Christmas tree to the hall to get chipped, after a brief tour of the hall and chat with Capt. Stevens I walked home with an application and thought in 8 months maybe I'll get a call to come out. A week later I had an interview with the Chiefs, 2 weeks later I was at my first practice, a year and a half later I passed my NFPA and got my black helmet. Since then its been none stop training, learning, and giving back to the community.

CFR: Was there any specific event that first interested you in becoming a fire fighter?

Nothing specific, but deep down I'm still a kid at heart and love playing with toys...and we've got some big toys to play with! At the same time, when I moved to Comox I wanted to join a group or organization to volunteer my time with. After checking out the coast guard and search and rescue, I found my home with Comox Fire.

CFR: What is your favorite part of volunteering for Comox Fire Rescue (or working in the valley in general)?

Great team, great facility, and a great community I'm proud to donate my time and effort to. As a relative newcomer in the Comox Valley, the team at Comox Fire Rescue have become my extended family!

CFR: Outside of the fire department, what are your interests/hobbies?

Professional - Real Estate. As a REALTOR (www.ColinHanes.ca), selling homes in the Comox Valley is a dream...where else would you want to live! Personal - Snowboarding, hiking, squash, ultimate frisbee, spending time with my wife and twin girls.

CFR: What are some major changes you have seen in the fire service industry during your career?

In my short career, the advancements in technology have been amazing. From the addition of iPads and paperless forms in the hall to the use of apps like Active911.

CFR: If you could change one thing about the fire service, what would it be?

Speed of response. While our response time is still quite good, I think that time impacts everything we do and the longer it takes to get to the scene the greater the risks to everyone involved. Whether responding to a car accident, medical emergency, or a fire call, if we can improve response time we can improve our chances of a positive outcome. And this is more of a constant evolution then a change which we're seeing with improved technology through apps like Active911, and I'm sure we'll see in the future with advance smoke alarms in homes.

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Thank you, Colin, for your dedication and enthusiasm!

Meet our Members: Pascal Lafreniere

This week on Meet our Members, we interview Pascal Lafreniere!

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Pascal Lafreniere receiving his Lieutenant shoulder flashes.

CFR: Could you provide a brief background of your fire service career?

I've been with Comox Fire Rescue for 7 years now. Previous to that I had no fire service experience. I was promoted to Lieutenant in 2014 and am currently finishing up my Fire Officer lv. 1 course.

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CFR: Was there any specific event that first interested you in becoming a fire fighter?

Nothing in particular, but firefighting checked all the boxes of my ideal career!

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CFR: What is your favourite part of volunteering for Comox Fire Rescue (or working in the valley in general)?

My favourite part of volunteering at CFR is the amount of opportunites given to us to grow and learn as firefighters and the opportunity to share knowledge and experience with other firefighters.

CFR: Outside of the fire department, what are your interests/hobbies?

I enjoy spending time outdoors, usually doing activites such as mountain biking, snowboarding (when there's actually snow on Mt. Washington), quadding in the back-country, and generally exploring Vancouver Island.

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CFR: What are some major changes you have seen in the fire service industry during your career?

The amount of options for aquiring training. You can get textbooks, ebooks, online training... The amount of ways to get training has significantly increased since I started.

Thank you, Pascal, for your years of dedication and leadership especially in your new role training recruits!

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An inside joke.

Meet our Members: Ron Barrow

This week on Meet our Members, we interview Ron Barrow!

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Lieutenant Ron Barrow

CFR: Could you provide a brief background of your fire service career?

My career as a Search and Rescue Technician in the Airforce posted me back to my home town of Comox in 1999.

CFR: Was there any specific event that first interested you in becoming a fire fighter?

I met the dedicated professionals within the CFD which lead me to join in 2002. That atmosphere continues to be a big part of the reward for me.

CFR: What is your favourite part of volunteering for Comox Fire Rescue (or working in the valley in general)?

Contributing to our communities well being and participating in the continuous learning and professional development offered in the Training Centre have motivated me from the beginning.

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Lieutenant Barrow training new recruits at the Comox Fire Training Centre

CFR: Outside of the fire department, what are your interests/hobbies?

I enjoy all outdoor activities, with friends and family all year round. Especially boating and fishing with my wife Destinee and spending time with our grown boys Blayne, Jayden and Cedar...woof!

Thank you Ron for your many years of dedicated volunteer service!

Meet our Members: Wayne Della Siega

This week on Meet our Members, we interview Wayne Della Siega!

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Wayne Della Siega, a 14 year veteran of Comox Fire Rescue

CFR: Could you provide a brief background of your fire service career?

I have been with Comox Fire Rescue for 14 years.

CFR: Was there any specific event that first interested you in becoming a fire fighter?

I joined Comox FD after coming to the valley and wanted to be part of a great organization that was high energy, volunteer, and adrenaline based. I used to see them practice so I decided to join.

CFR: What is your favourite part of volunteering for Comox Fire Rescue (or working in the valley in general)?

My favorite part of Comox FD is the community embracing us as a valued part of the town and the diverse membership.

CFR: Outside of the fire department, what are your interests/hobbies?

Outside of the hall I enjoy sports, mountain biking, fishing, gardening, and spending time with my family.

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CFR: What are some major changes you have seen in the fire service industry during your career?

The changes I have seen are the new advancements in fire fighting techniques and equipment as well as the unfortunate departure from volunteer aspects to more paid occurrences.

CFR: If you could change one thing about the fire service, what would it be?

If I could change one thing it would be to have more emphasis on volunteer, where all would see the value of it, rather than being paid to do the latter. There needs to be more fun and laughter aside from all the business that is inevitable in the fire service.

Chief Schreiner states: “With fifty members in any organization you will of course have different views. I respect and value Wayne’s views but I do not agree with them in terms of 'volunteerism'. While we do pay more people to do more things for us I have seen our volunteer hours increase over the 40 years I have been here. Our community has grown and so has the demand for our services. The increased paid hours allows us to better serve our citizens while targeting some specific projects that are typically dealt with during regular business hours like our Sound of Life program, the P.A.R.T.Y. program and several other school based programs. More paid hours also reduces the stress on our volunteers and supports them in many ways. Our department is involved with more and more all of the time. In fact collectively we volunteer thousands of hours each year.”

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Thank you Wayne for your many years of dedicated volunteer service!

Meet our Members: Carson Schreiner

This week on Meet our Members, we interview Carson Schreiner!

CFR: Could you provide a brief background of your fire service career?

I joined Comox Fire Rescue as a rookie firefighter in March 2010, just after the Youth Camp ended. About a year later, I completed my NFPA 1001 Level 2 and became a fully certified firefighter. I got a job working as a firefighter for the Department of National Defense at HMCS Quadra in Comox for a summer and have spent the last 2 years working as a fulltime firefighter for BC Hydro at the Mica Dam. With my schedule of two weeks on two weeks off, I have been able to maintain my POC Firefighting position with Comox. I have recently completed my Fire Officer 1 Certification through the JIBC and am nearing completion of Officer 2.

Was there any specific event that first interested you in becoming a fire fighter?

In my grade 11 year of highschool I enrolled in the Comox Fire Rescue Youth Camp program. It was a life changing experience for me. After just a few days of undergoing firefighting training I was hooked. I've always wanted a career that would allow me to help people and give back to my community and being a firefighter seemed like the perfect way to do that.

What is your favourite part of volunteering for Comox Fire Rescue (or working in the valley in general)?

My favourite part of being a volunteer with Comox is the great training opportunities we are given and amazing training facilities we have access to. This allows us to provide a better service to the citizens of Comox. I also really enjoy participating in the community and charity events such as our Annual Tree Chipping for Yana. I am proud to be a part of such a great organization that does so much for the community.

Outside of the fire department, what are your interests/hobbies?

Outside of the Fire Department, my hobbies are: playing hockey, stand-up paddleboarding, mountain biking, fishing, camping, weight training, and golfing.

What are some major changes you have seen in the fire service industry during your career?

During my time in the Fire Department, the biggest changes I have seen are the advancements in technology. When I joined the department we were using rip and run sheets and address books when responding to calls, whereas now we just bring up a map on one of the many IPADS in our trucks and have an accurate GPS location to respond to. The IPADs allow us to be much more efficient at many other department operations as well. The other huge innovation I have seen has been the use of the Active 911 app on our personal cell phones.

Chief Schreiner states: “It has been really rewarding for me to see my son Carson follow in my foot steps and excel the way he has. He has grown into a very capable firefighter. The fire service has a long record of having family members work together and it great to see the same happening here in Comox. We have had several family connections over the years here and hope that trend continues.”