Prince George, B.C. - The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George officially unveiled its new Fire and Life Safety House and Mobile Emergency Operations Centre today.

 

The 39 foot trailer has a dual purpose as it can be used to help educate the public about fire and life safety and assist in responding to emergencies throughout the rural parts of the region acting as a base for staff and Incident Command personnel.

 

The trailer has a price tag of just over $90,000, however the costs were offset through the support of corporate and community organizations such as BC Hydro, Central Interior Fire Chiefs Association, Joint Emergency Preparedness Program, Peak Benefit System, Trim Line Graphics & Signs and the Regional District’s Electoral Area Directors in the form of Community Grants in-Aid.

 

The unit will be available to volunteer fire departments to help give presentations to children, parents and seniors. It will give children the opportunity to participate in the lesson and learn important skills that will potentially save their lives and the lives of others through the use of training tools such as a smoke machine and a heated bedroom door. 

 

James Baxter, Chairperson of the Regional District’s Fire and Life Safety Working Group and a volunteer at the Buckhorn Fire Departments says it helps the children understand the difference between a real fire and a Hollywood fire, “Kids think you can just walk through a fire to the other side of the house like they see in movies like Back Draft and Ladder 49, once they are in the trailer and realize the smoke is thick we discuss alternative options like utilizing their second entrance and meeting at the safety spot.”

 

Baxter says although the trailer is equipped to simulate hurricanes and tornados that are not likely to occur in Prince George, it is more about facilitating discussion and preparing people for severe weather or what they would do in an event where they had no power for up to 72 hours or if their house was destroyed in a fire.

 

Over the coming year, the Regional District will focus on installing additional communications and other equipment to continue improving its usefulness for emergency response.