JI

JUSTICE

INSTITUTE
OFB.C.

Volume 8 Number 3
July 1996

FIRE & SAFETY TRAINING CENTRE

Emergency Response Every Day
On any weekday, and most
weekends, the JI's Fire and
Safety Training Centre is a
busy place, with as many as
100 people being instructed
in the arts of emergency
response - fire fighting,
auto extrication and dealing
with hazardous materials
releases, to name a few. Fire
trucks drive past, siren and
lights active, heading for the
bum building, while students
in astronaut-like garb
respond to simulated chemical leaks on the rail tank
cars . .

Career & Community Studies
Corrections Academy
Courts Academy
Educational Services
Finance & Administration
Fire Academy
Fire & Safety Training Centre
Paramedic Academy
Police Academy
Provincial Emergency Program
Academy

Justice Institute of B.C.

715 McBride Blvd.
New Westminster, B.C.
V3L 5T4
Ph (604) 525-5422

The busy scene is repeated
almost year round, as students come from across
Canada, and even some from
Washington State, to learn
how best to respond to emergency situations. Firefighters,
mariners, industrial workers
and government employees;
all come to experience the
hands-on training on which
the faculty and staff of the
FSTC pride themselves.
Theory in the classroom,
followed by practical application in the field, using simulations which are as realistic
as possible - and there is
nothing simulated about the
fires. Whether it be the faint

Extinguishing fires is a daily occurrence at the Fire and Safety Training Centre.

suspicious puff of smoke
from the bum building, the
detection of hot steel at the

The Centre is not unique,

ship or the full rolling blaze
of the T-pit, the students

available here. It is certainly
the most unusual training

learn to read the signs and to
respond in a safe but aggressive manner to contain, con-

facility of its type in Western
Canada.

fine and extinguish.

but few training schools
offer the diversity of training

john Lewis, Fi:re & Safety
Training Centre

At times the training grounds
resemble a war zone with
dozens of car bodies, dis-

continued on page 4

membered reminders that
learning has taken place
here, in how to safely extricate a patient from the
wreckage. Burnt-out wrecks
in neat rows may denote
where the personnel of BC
Ferries have been learning
how to combat vehicle fires.

Inside:
From the JI to the Jungle

2

Private Security Training

3

Pantages Medal

3

Fire Arms Range

6

Insiders snapshots

7

From the JI, to the Jungle
by Irwin DeVries,
Courts Academy

Belize Teachers College

Page 2

Then it was off to Guyana,
where I was to teach the
same course for faculty

The invitation seemed inno-

Guyana in South America.

members at the University

cent enough -

Being used to doing things

of Guyana. Or so I thought.

a letter

requesting applications for

on short notice, I said yes

But due to their different

teaching fellowships. Issued

and spent a lot of nights

circumstances, it was neces-

from the Commonwealth of

and weekends putting

sary to make fairly extensive

Learning, whose head office

together curriculum and

adjustments to the course

is. located in Vancouver, the

making arrangements for

on the fly, but on the other

the course.

hand if you haven't done

It is quite a shock for a mid-

that before you haven't

dle class suburbanite from

worked at the Justice

call for applications identi-

The assignment, should
I accept it, was to teach
two one-week courses,
one at the Belize
Teachers' CoUege in
Central America, and
the other at the
Universiry of Guyana
in South America.

tent faculty members.

fied areas in the world
where the COL would sponsor staff members from post
secondary institutions to
teach courses· on the design
of distance education.

North Delta to get on a

Institute. The course again

plane nursing a Starbucks

went very well and I was

and land 18 hours later in

amazed to find that our

the middle of a Central

closing ceremonies extend-

American jungle where the

ed a good part of the last

humidity and heat hit you

afternoon and received

like a brick wall, the sw'ampy

national media coverage. It

smell ofjungle vegetation

was gratifying to see the

fills the air and cackling

training receive the appreci-

parrots fly by in blazing

ation it was given.

colors.

I felt a very strong kinship

In Belize, my class consisted

with these faculty members

of about 10 instructors at

who were working very hard

the teacher's college, where

to train and educate their

all the 400 or so teachers in

people yet with the tiniest

the country receive their

fraction of the resources we

training. Due to the lack of

have at our disposal. We

qualified candidates, many

might complain if a VCR

But a mere ten or so weeks

teachers begin teaching

cart has a wobbly wheel; in

later, as I was running

without a university educa-

both countries getting a

through Miami Airport

tion and receive their train-

functional overhead projec-

lookingfor lost luggage and

ing on the job over a num-

tor, let alone up to date

a missing box of learning

ber of years with the sup-

computers to produce

materials, it seemed a lot

port of ongoing courses at

course materials, is a major

more real. Things moved

the Teachers' College. The

challenge, particularly with

quickly after my application

main challenges included

daily power outages (in

was accepted. The assign-

heat and dust raised from

Guyana) and many students

ment, should I accept it,

heavy machinery work

lacking phones. As you may

was to teach two one-week

being done outside the

have gathered, it was just as

courses, one at the Belize

classroom, but the rewards

much a learning experience

Teachers' College in

were the enjoyment of

for me as it was for anyone

Central America, and the

working with avid, over-

else.

other at the University of

worked and highly compe-

•

Private
Security
at the JI
by Steve Hess,

On June 1, pre-licensing train-

Academy and other divisions.

lead role in the development

ing for private security guards

In recent years, basic level

and implementation of this

became mandatory in B.C. For

training has been expanded

training, working in conjunc-

the past two years the Private

to include training in areas

tion with industry members

Security Program of the Police

such as campus security,

and the office of the Chief

Academy has been working

bicycle patrol for security

Provincial Firearms Officer.

toward the implementation of

personnel, and training

This course is currently the

this mandatory training

officer courses.

only program of its kind in

requirement. Tasked with the

One of the newest efforts in

Canada, and is being exam-

development, implementation,

the Private Security Program

ined as a model for training in

Private Security Program,

and administration of this pro-

Police Academy

ject by the Ministry of Attorney
General, it seemed at times as
if the project would never be
finished.
In late April the new legislation was passed and the June 1
date was set. The new standards require training in areas

other Provinces.

This sixty-four hour
program, developed at
the JI, is the most
extensive mandatory
securiry guard training
requirement in
North America.

In addition to acting as the
administrator of the provincewide.security guard training
initiative on behalf of the
Ministry, the JI will continue
to provide private security
courses. A program planning
committee, which includes the
Courts and Corrections

such as legal issues, profession-

Academies, and is adminis-

alism, and personal ·safety.

is the introduction of basic

The area of private security

Armoured Car Guard

tered by the Police Academy,

training is nothing new to the

Training. This mandatory pre-

will continue to plan and

Justice Institute - we first

employment training is part of

implement these courses.

offered such training in the

the Provincial Security

With some course compo-

1980s and since that time we

Training Initiative, and the

nents taught by the Fire and

have continued to deliver vari-

Justice Institute is the sole

Paramedic Academies, this is

ous forms of private security

provider of this training in the

truly a Justice Institute cooper-

training, through the Police

Province. The JI played the

ative venture. •

Pantages Medal to be Awarded by Foundation

Tony Pantages

Tony Pantages was a Founding Director of the

To be considered for the Anthony P Pant.age:; QC

Justice Institute. He served as vice-chair of the

Medal, the person you nominate should meet the

board from 1978 until his death In 1994. He was a

following cnteria

respected member of the legal community m Bnt1sh

• involved in the Criminal Justice Field in Bnbsh

Columbia, and practiced both dS Crown Counsel

Columbia

and as a defence lawyer.

improvement or advancement of the admimstrat1on

offer thP. Anthony P. Pantages Q .C. Medal m

of Justice, or

Tony's memory The Medal will be awarded annuFor additional nomination
forms contact

ally to a person workmg 1n the field of Cnmmal
Justice 1n B C

Tracie Mydonick at

A nomination form 1s enclo~ed with this issue of J1

(604) 528-5506

News, if you know someone whom you believe 1~

(fax 528-5518).
The Pantages Medal will
be presented at a Gala

• has made an outstanding contnbut1on to the

The Justice Institute of BC Foundation is proud to

deserving of the Pantages Medal, complete the

• has given leadership or by example has encouraged the advancement of profess1onahsm in h1s/he1
chosen profession, or
• for consistently demonstrabng a high level of
professional performance

form and return 1t to the JI Foundation by

To be valid, all nominations must be submitted

September 16, 1996

using the enclosed nomination form.

Evening on October 25.

Page 3

FIRE & SAFETY TRAINING CENTRE

Emergl

In July of 1994, the Justice Institute was given responsibility for what was then the
Pacific Marine Training Institute in Maple Ridge. With an expanded role of providing training for the municipal and industrial fire services, in addition to marine fire
training, the facility became the JI's Fire and Safety Training Centre.
As John Lewis (one of the site's co-managers) says, the FSTC is truly a unique facility.
In this special feature in JI News we hope you'll get to know more about this unique
part of the JI, and more importantly, about the people who make it work.

1. Site Managers Dan Murphy (l) and john Lewis spend time working with current and potential clients, in addition to keeping the
place running. They also focus their attention on the program
areas; for john its the marine related programs, and for Dan, the
fire senJice which right now means a lot of recruit training.
Recognizing the potential the FSTC has, their aim is to compete
internationally for training contracts. As managers of the FSTC,
they hold a strong belief in working with the community Uy providing job experience or "shadowing" ojJportunities for students and
working with the weal schools on tours of the site.

2. John Consiglio
3. Ken Ruddick
4. Walter Premier
Instructors John Consiglio (JC),
Walter Premer, and Ken Ruddick
"One of the most rewarding things
about instructing" says Ken
Ruddick, "is that you see immediate results. For many of the peO'jJ1£
who come here, you 're giving them
the information and skills they
need to help them deal with events
in their own community. " Ken, JC
and Walter are full time instructors for a range of courses including hazardous materials response,
marine and industrial brigade
courses.

Page 4

ncy Response Every Day
7. Fran Kemp (l) and Melanie Tadla.
Just ask anyone "who really runs this place?" and they'll
tell you it's Fran and Melanie. Officially, they 're in
charge of office administration - preparing course materials, registering training contracts, providing course
information, handling accounting, and much more.

5. Merlin Klassen
6. Mike McNaught
Instructor Coordinators
Working as instructor coordinators means you have the responsibility to line up
instructors for the variety of programs running and you also spend a considerable amount of time and energy instructing. Mike's main focus is industrial
and marine training, while Merlin's is primarily fire service, specifically the
recruit program.

8. Mark Smitton
9. Kevin Perkin
10. Kevin Harwood,
Scientific Technical Officers
Hoses, nozzles, SCBA and extinguishers are the
tools of the trade for Mark, Kevin and Kevin. They
provide the support to run the essential "hands-on"
component of the training at the FSTC. Their daily
work schedule involves lighting fires, making sure
any necessary props such as extinguishers and SelfContained Breathing Apparatus are in place and
working, as well as regular maintenance and repair
of equipment. "Basically, we do everything except
the instruction, "says Kevin Harwood.

continued on page 8
Page 5

Fire Arms Range
Moving to Lead Free Ammunition
and the JI's plans for the
future of the range.
When we began the design
process for the new campus
and the range, the Workers
Compensation Board
(WCB) standard allowed a
lead content of .25 micromoules in a person's blood
and an airborne lead content of 4ppm. By the time
the range opened, the blood
level had been reduced to
.20mm and airborne to
.05ppm. So, as standards
changed during the design
and construction process,
modifications to the range
were made along the way.
In July of 1995 the range was
ready to occupy, and testing

By April of 1997 only
leadjree ammunition will
be used at the ]I's indoor
and outdoor ranges.

So what is the story with the
JI's Fire Arms Range? Last
Christmas the Range made
the front page of the
Vancouver Sun - not
because it's a state of the art
facility, but because there
were concerns that instructors were being exposed to
higher than acceptable levels
of lead. After several weeks,
several air ventilation tests,
and some modifications to
the air flow, the range was
given a clean bill of health
from WCB. Many people
who saw the front page story
missed the news that th_e
range was safe, and so, to set
the record straight, here's
the story behind the story,

Page 6

during shooting began. The
WCB was involved throughout the process as we made
modifications to meet the
standards and to address any

we're not stopping there.
Bob Hull, Director of the
Police Academy says "We
have the most modem range
in Western Canada, and it's
deemed the safest in the
area. We want to make sure it
stays at the top of the list .. .
the safety of the people using
the range is our utmost
concern."
Hull says the JI goal is to be
as lead free as possible at
both the indoor and outdoor
ranges. To do that, the plan
is to move to lead free bullets
by April of 1997 - a move
taken by many shooting
ranges throughout North
America. A move that's not
without cost - until the .
whole fire arms system uses
lead free ammunition, Hull
says the cost of lead free will
be higher.

concerns or issues raised by
the people using the range.
Like any new building, it was
necessary to occupy the
range for a while to get feedback from the users and
work out the bugs.
During this operating and
testing process, the JI's fire
arms instructors had their
blood checked every month
and their lead levels were
fine.
Earlier this spring the WCB
gave the range a clean bill of
health, stating that the range
met all of their requirements
regarding lead in the air. But

''We 're using lead free at our
indoor range", says Bob Hull,
Director of the ]I's Police Academy

"We're already using lead
free ammunition in the fire
arms instruction we conduct
at the indoor range," says
Hull, "we feel the increase in
cost is worth the investment."

•

Insiders Snapshots from around the JI.
1. Deputy Sher~fft m Crowd
,\.fanagement framing m May.
2. TIU' Pammetlu .i<.ademy
ro.t.ered tlU' Vancouver Sun Run
•cmpo?a-te Team Cha&nge" with
a 19 member tflfJm of tmpluyees,

f atniJ_v and frwr.ds. The UJ.te. win
a .m uess, and many team tnembt"13 are al:ready talking abtntf
competwg np~t year.

On June 7, after l"lf!}it week.\ f?f
shtdy in the Paramedic .Academy.

3.

j

I

~-_J

theSR 5n1eti inshutt01-amduiate.5
ftom Stngap<»e'!. &hool oj
Military ,\IRduttie and C1dl
Defense Fcm:c graduated. Bruk in
Singapore, they will wm1 w01k
with JI imhucton to train th~r
cou11tty '1 pmamedi1 s.

4. "Charting New Watm ~, the
Instro.tti011al Audia fuit>lopment
Centm'1 new 1ttdeo, premiered at
Heritage Hall on]une 20.
P1od1u:111 Curt Hunta (front 14t),
p "arum" St1,1. ttyatt (ba-<k l.ejt>
and Doug Brure fb;,uk 11ght),
exuut.itie produccr Shelley Rivkin
(biuk, third ftom left) and som.e of
the cast frt>m Theat1c 1c11ifU.
5. ''R'hne um 1 !>ig;u up for that
coune?" was thP qt1£.5tw11 v11 thn
Frulay mmmng~ Despitf:' the h<:ifrel
of many, tilt' JI warn 't 1Jffermg
golf lemm~ tlm was part of a
c.oune in "Effettitoe Pr&entatww. •
m the Polu~ Programs urea.

6 & 7. An 1mexpecterl lludent'
5howed up ill a Muliativn Skills
Ler.iel II wurse m May. ,\lth<n1,gh
flu: bird shoulf'd cutivt bstcnmg
~kills, 1t had not taken the
pre-rcqm.~iW.\ for tlU! COUHf.

K.erty Gnwer hied 1eegvtuitmg
(brihe!y) with the student to
no avail. The f.ilrd wa!> finally
"-shooed" out ho, J1,1rk Fi:m.lro, thP
.P's but/ding maintenarue wo1·ker.

FSTC. .. continued from page 5

The A~juncts
Pictured here are just four of
approximately 40 Adjunct
Instructors who work within the
fire service or industry and
instruct at the FSTC on a
contract basis to teach specific
courses. "With the adjuncts we
have the best ofboth worlds at
the FSTC, "says Dan Murphy.
"We have the talent and experience of our full time instructors
complemented by the tremendous
experience in the field the
adjuncts bring to the programs. "

Thanks!
Contributors to this issue:
Irwin DeVries

Kerry Gruber
Steve Hess
Dale Hoffman
John Lewis

The JI News is produced for
staff and clients of the Justice
Institute ofB.C. If you have
suggestions or comments,
call Peggy John in
Public Relations at
(604) 528-5527

Something you'd like to see
in the next issue?

Send your submission to
Peggy John by August 1, 1996.

1. "Building construction is the most dangerous part of the fire service, " says Keith Boswell as he instructs the
recruit fire fighters in building construction.
2. Joe Deluca (right) instructing recruits in victim rescue.
3. Reo Jerome supervising recruit class in removal of contaminated gear during hazardous materials course.
4. Janice Kenefick (facing camera) during marine officers training.

Public Relations gave": tours of the JI"i. New West Gtrnpus to the following grou~:

April

May

June

Boi<>e Idaho Unive11lit}
and State Justice
representatives

Ambulance Service
Cadets from Eng-land

University of
Staffordshire, England

Library Group

New We~t Senior
Secondary Grade 12
students

Boise Idaho Univer~ity
CriminalJmtice Students

Pacific. A'>SOCiation for
Continuing Education

Douglas College Library
Group

TORCH - in home
<Khooling program

Canadian Club
Representatives