The Saturna Island Fire Protection Society (SIFPS) exists to keep you and your buildings safe in an emergency. SIFPS oversees our local fire department and emergency medical response unit, Saturna Island Rescue (SIR). It is managed and run by volunteers. During the past five years in particular, significant new challenges for SIFPS’s work have arisen. We divide them into two categories. The first involves increased demands on Saturna’s emergency services as they are currently operated, straining our ability to provide Saturna’s growing population with high-quality services at present levels of taxation. The second involves a more consequential move to alter the legal and administrative framework under which our emergency services operate.
Demographic, Economic, and Regulatory Challenges
Increased Demand on Services
Saturna’s population has increased from 354 in 2016 to 465 in 2021, the year of the most recent census. That’s an increase of 31.4%. With a low population density and almost half of the island as parkland, Saturna provides emergency services set to “average” standards, though we aren’t even close to average in terms of density or access. We need equipment such as tankers in lieu of hydrants to ensure adequate supplies of water for firefighting, and rescue vehicles that can traverse difficult terrain, including steep driveways. In addition, summer tourism and shoulder-season day travelers have increased significantly and place additional burdens on our emergency services.
Availability of Volunteer First Responders, Firefighters, and Administrative Personnel
Fire and emergency departments in the Gulf Islands are experiencing the same trends as most other places in Canada. Resident populations in rural communities are aging, and volunteerism has waned. Saturna has had better luck recruiting than other Gulf Island fire departments. There is no comparable information regarding SIR recruits, as most other communities are served by BC Ambulance. Volunteering for the emergency services is a big commitment in terms of time, training, and on-call scheduling. SIR always has room for new recruits. The same holds for drivers of our ambulances who require a Class 4 licence.
Recruitment of volunteers is only part of the picture. Retention is another. Volunteers need to feel satisfied with what they learn and do in order to continue to volunteer. Training, onboarding, and retention activities are expensive and take considerable time, resources, and volunteer dedication. It’s an investment that is costly should someone decide after a short time that the job is not for them.
The Board of SIFPS also requires volunteers to administer a complex operation. Reporting on and managing budgets and personnel takes time and expertise. Compensation, oversight of OH&S (Occupational Health and Safety), and programs for volunteers such as counseling and other HR matters need to be handled in a way that respects the needs of our volunteers as well as the expectations of taxpayers, government, and legal bodies.
Training
Both the Fire Department and SIR are subject to a complex set of regulatory requirements and recognized operating, staffing and training standards. The fact that we are a volunteer service does not excuse us from being bound by these standards.
The Provincial Office of the Fire Commissioner sets fire regulations, training, and reporting standards for firefighters, volunteer or professional. More stringent training takes time, and costs for training have seen major increases over the past ten years.
Recruiting and training SIR volunteers is one of the greatest challenges we face. Yet, those who do the training to our required EMR standard find immense satisfaction in providing comfort and sometimes life-saving expertise to patients.
Depending on how many personnel need to be trained in any one year, costs can vary. In 2019, the training budget for SIR and Fire was $7,440. In 2022, it was $58,435.
Equipment
As with everything, equipment ranging from fire vehicles to turnout gear (coats, pants and other protective equipment) has seen a dramatic increase in cost. Even more difficult is the ability to source equipment. Standards are high and must meet certain criteria. For example, Saturna’s Fire Department bought a 20-year-old engine for $30,000 in 2019. We now need a new tanker. We have received a significant grant towards the purchase and, in anticipation of equipment replacement, have been saving toward this eventuality. A second-hand truck with the proper specifications will likely cost $250,000. It has taken two years to find an appropriate vehicle.
Insurance
This year, commercial general liability premiums rose by 24%. And liability insurance is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain for our volunteer-run services, despite their level of training.
Because the Capital Regional District (CRD) has overall responsibility for fire services, they require us to indemnify them. Saturna has fully indemnified the CRD in relation to the delivery of the services or claims arising from negligence. Should SIFPS be unable to obtain liability coverage, we would not be able to operate.
Occupational Health and Safety
OH&S processes and guidelines must be overseen and managed by SIFPS with a reporting requirement to ensure compliance. OH&S compliance involves anything that ensures the safety, health, and mental wellness of volunteers. It might include safety items such as the purchase of extension cable covers to avoid tripping, or the initiation of a counseling policy, as we have done.
The statutory basis for occupational health and safety programs is found in the Workers Compensation Act (RSBC 2019) and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, B.C. Reg. 296/97 (the “OH&S Regulation”), as well as in other regulations and the policies of WorkSafe BC. The requirements are complex and prescriptive, and we must abide by them and indemnify the CRD as we have taken on the responsibility of providing emergency services.
Summary
We have tried to capture in a general way some of the changes that are affecting the operations of SIFPS. The growing demands on SIFPS, in terms of costs and volunteers, are significant, challenging the assumption that we can continue to provide high-quality emergency services at current levels of taxation. In moving forward, we wish to be proactive and ensure that Saturna residents are part of any decisions we make to address these issues.
For a fuller picture of the history of SIFPS and the legal framework under which we operate, see this explainer. It provides the context for understanding the second set of challenges facing SIFPS.
Governmental Challenges
Fire protection is a local government service in BC. The provincial government has authorized municipalities and regional districts to provide British Columbians with essential services such as clean water, sewer systems, parks and recreation, and fire protection. On Saturna, our local fire department operates under CRD Bylaw No. 2165. Because we are responsible for the expenditure of taxes that fund our services, this bylaw and a service agreement with the CRD outline how tax monies are to be spent.
For SIR, BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) is the provincial agency through which we have an agreement to operate. They are also responsible for BC Ambulance in the province. On Saturna, volunteer first responders take the place of BC Ambulance in responding to emergency calls and, when necessary, transporting patients to boat or helicopter pick-up points. Saturna gets no direct support from BCEHS for these services. We currently receive approximately $12,000 annually from Island Health, as well as private donations, but these together make up only a fraction of the annual operating costs of SIR. Last year we were able to amend CRD Bylaw No. 2165 to allow us to fund SIR operations through CRD taxes. Thus, we are effectively funding two emergency services through the budget intended for one. We are currently in discussions with BCEHS that we hope will eventually lead to a new model for the funding of emergency medical services on Saturna.
In regard to our fire department, a September 2023 report commissioned by the CRD noted: “The service establishment bylaw covering Saturna Island is an old form based on the pre-2000 Municipal Act. The form of establishment bylaw does not clearly authorize the CRD to provide fire and emergency response services—rather, it only permits it to fund service provision by a third party (the relevant society). As such, it is not clear from where the Saturna department draws its operational powers, since it is operating essentially as a private fire department” (p. 76 of the Capital Regional District Fire Services Governance Review).
In other words, Bylaw No. 2165, established in 1993 under Section 788 (1)(j) of the (old) Municipal Act is now an anomaly. It essentially allows SIFPS to operate fire services with tax funding by the CRD, as if we are a private provider. This is what residents of Saturna wanted in 1993, and many people over the years have worked hard to maintain our independence.
Whether or not we will be able to retain the current wording of Bylaw No. 2165 in the future is up in the air. Regardless, our service agreement with the CRD expires at the end of 2027. That document will need to be amended for a variety of reasons, and not just because it is out of alignment with other fire departments’ service agreements. It is also out of alignment with current legislation governing fire services in BC which are subject to the prevailing Local Government Act.
Other new legislation may change the way we operate as well. One example is the Fire Safety Act brought into force on August 1, 2024, replacing the Fire Services Act. This includes responsibility for fire investigations.
In summary, our relationship with governmental structures is one major area of change, and whether SIFPS’ governance model needs to change to accommodate current realities is a decision that requires the input of Saturna residents. We need to ensure that we make informed decisions.
What SIFPS Is Doing Now in Regard to Managing Our Emergency Services
- Developing a strategic plan for the next five years, to be followed by a 10-year plan.
- Engaging the Saturna population, with the first step being a short survey that will help to inform our planning.
- Continuing to work with BC Emergency Health Services to ultimately establish an ambulance presence on Saturna, a move which is supported by members of SIR. In the meantime, we will continue lobbying for tangible support from BCEHS, Island Health and the Ministry of Health, which ought to be funding our emergency medical services as they do in most other BC communities.
What SIFPS Will Do in 2025
- With clarity about our aims and goals for the next few years, determine our responses to external pressures including our relationships with local, regional and provincial governments.
- Ensure our governance model is in line with current and expected realities.
- Meet with CRD Fire and Emergency Services in regard to our service agreement.