City of Vancouver
EMAIL FROM CHIEF ROBERT CHAPMAN, VANCOUVER FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PETER LAFOREST OF GWL REALTY
From: Chapman, Robert (VFRS)
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 7:31 PM
To: Peter Laforest
Subject: High Rise Scenario
Hi Peter,
On behalf of the Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services Training Division, I would like to thank you and Kim for providing us your facility to undertake the High Rise training exercise on Saturday February 24, 2007.
I believe that the knowledge gained from this training exercise, will allow us to expand and improve our emergency response skills, and has increased benefit to that of classroom and training ground instruction.
The use of your facility and the assistance of your engineering and security staff allowed this exercise to function in all aspects of a real event. The professionalism and courtesy that Bill and the members of your security staff offered to our Incident Commanders, allowed this exercise to have added value for all involved.
As you are aware from viewing the exercise, the deployment of fire personnel at any high rise event is time consuming. This is necessary to ensure Fire Fighter safety, and to help lesson the danger and risks to tenants and others within the building. Pre-fire plans are a valuable tool in the deployment of fire fighter and the Massey plan has good value for fire fighters in determining the strategies and tactics required to mitigate the incident.
At the training exercise our Incident Commanders utilized the Massey plan and found it to be a very comprehensive. They commented that they would like to have more hands-on in the use of the plan in order to become more familiar with it and thereby allow the most effective deployment of fire personnel.
I will contact Cutis and make whatever arrangements are necessary to ensure our members have an opportunity to review similar-type plans to ensure the best possible outcome.
However the most effective plan is the ability to practice and conduct the type of training exercise we did on Saturday February 24, 2007. Your assistance, in allowing the Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services Training Division the opportunity to conduct the high rise training exercise in your facility may ultimately provide greater safety for your tenants and may also provide greater safety to fire fighters responding to this type of emergency incident.
Over the next few days we will be developing a package of pictures and video of this training exercise, a copy of which will be provide to you for your use. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to call me at any time.
Sincerely;
Robert Chapman
Division Chief Training & Development
Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services
1330 Chess St.
Vancouver BC V6A-4K4
Tel: 604 665-6080