2020 Citizens Report

MAPLE RIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT DIVISION OVERVIEW Fire Chief: Howard Exner Our MISSION STATEMENT states exactly Technical Rescue 12

Vehicle Fires 29

Alarms 491

Structure Fires 151

what we do: Protecting Life, Property and the Environment. We achieve our mission with dedicated and well-trained firefighters, line officers, administrative support staff and chief officers. The Fire Department conducts its strategic planning and operates to support a resilient community by delivering exceptional customer service in a fiscally responsible manner. Further, the Fire Department is committed to developing and strengthening our composite model using a core of full- time firefighters for the day-to-day duties and responses, while maintaining a large pool of well-trained, paid-on call firefighters for large scale fires and other incidents. This composite model is very innovative in our industry and is also fiscally responsible. The Fire Department’s service delivery includes Fire Prevention, through inspections and education, Operations, which encompasses capacity building to deal with a diversity of calls for service, the Emergency Program. Internal and community education to manage through a variety of disaster responses and Administration, which is the leadership group who ensures that we are protected efficiently and effectively.

Other Fires 433

HazMat 86

Hydro Emergency 191

MVAs 388

Total Calls for Service in 2020: 3,827

Miscellaneous 521

Medicals 1525

Meet Firefighter Jesse Friesen and Assistant Fire Chief James Clelland. When the BC Government declared a State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic the City of Maple Ridge took quick action to keep our community safe. Chief Clelland was in charge of the City’s Emergency Program in March of 2020 when we activated our Emergency Operations Centre to coordinate the City’s response. The first priority was to protect our first responders from COVID as they dealt with a wide variety of calls for service. Firefighter Friesen is wearing the PPE (personal protective equipment) that was used for medical call responses to protect them from COVID-19. Crews separated into work cohorts, including the staffing of the new Fire Hall No. 4. Just as we had our family pods, our firefighters restricted their interactions to keep each other safe. Firefighters were there to answer the calls throughout the pandemic due to the fast adaptation of our leadership team.

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