st:P1!1!H8ER 1'999
TRAINING

FOR

SAFER

COMMUNITIES

We couldn't have done it
without them ...
Cruise ship crews
receive training while
in Vancouver
Three days each week during the
summer, staff from cruise ships that
come through Vancouver Port are
transported to the Maple Ridge
Campus for training in emergency
duties that include use of portable fire
extinguishers, live fire training and
theoretical instruction in crowd
management. In light of the recent
fires on board cruise ships there is a
heightened awareness that staff and
crew on board ships are the only
resource available to attack and
control incidents that occur.

The expansion of the hazardous material and rail safety area at the Maple Ridge Campus
is substantially complete. At first glance it becomes clear that the project could not have
gone ahead without the support and assistance of the rail companies, industry, regulatory
agencies and others that are dedicated to the success of this project.
Although there have been several dozen
individuals involved, the donations of time and
equipment to this project came from the following
organizations and agencies: BC Rail, Burlington
Northern/SantaFe, CN Rail, Cominco Ltd., CP
Rail, FMC, ICX, PROCOR, Sterling Pulp
Chemicals Ltd., Transport Canada, and WAW
Inspection Service. The contributions range from
rail tank cars to capping kits to ·s cBA packs -

and of course hundreds of feet of track and railway
ties.
The relocation of the· hazardous material and
rail safety program to the expanded area allowed
for the development of four separate training pads.
These pads are strategically placed in order to take
advantage of the terrain and to duplicate the
Continued on page 5

Highlights ...
Hazmat
derailments I 2
Fire Service
Leadership
Diploma 13
More Training
Updates/ 4
Terry Abrams
receives Dr.
Cohen Award I 6

New
training
ground for
Hazrnat
derailments
It's a train derailment in the
mountainous regions of BC's
West Coast. Ten rail cars have
been mangled. Hazardous
materials are leaking into the
environment. The emergency
response team goes into
action...
It could be the real thing, but this time
it's a training exercise, part of a unique,
new, training program that exists in only
one place in Canada.
The program is the Rail Tank Car
Specialist, and it's delivered by the Fire
and Safety Division of the Justice Institute
of BC (the JI).
"Our clients need this type of training,
and until now it was only available in the
U.S.," says John Vokes, Director of the
Fire and Safety Division at the JI. "When
we were planning the expansion of our
training site we took the opportunity to
develop the course at the same time. The
support we received from industry to do
that was incredible" Vokes adds.
The setting for the program is a train
derailment which is part of the JI's newly
completed five acre hazardous materials
training site in the mountainous terrain of
Maple Ridge, BC. The area's mild climate
allows the site to be used for training year
round.
The haz mat site includes three training
pads and a derailment. The first pad has

2

rail tank cars and road chemical carriers.
It is used to demonstrate operations

including leak sealing, product transfer,
grounding and bonding, and flaring
operations. The second pad will have a
warehouse and will be used to
demonstrate a variety of warehouse
scenarios. The third pad is a flexible one,
used to simulate a variety of incidents. The
derailment, which involves high pressure
and low pressure tank cars and intermodal
containers, is also unique - it's the only
training site like it in Canada.
The Rail Tank Car Specialist program
is five days (45 hours) of advanced
training for emergency professionals who
need to respond to train derailments
involving hazardous materials. This
intensive program is scenario based, and
combines classroom instruction with
hands on practice.
The program was nine months in the
making, and was developed with the help
of a committee of industry representatives.
Members from the rail industry, chemical
industry and Transport Canada were
involved. The committee worked with the
JI to determine the learning objectives for
the course, which served as the basis for
the course content and manual. In June
the program was put through a test run
with a group of technical experts from rail,
chemical and forest industries, and
government agencies.

"A lot of agencies don't have exposure
to derailments very often, so there's not a
lot of opportunity to gain experience," says
Dave Glen who's responsible for
dangerous commodities for CP Rail, "this
is a good place to get that exposure. The
course was put together and critiqued by
people with real experience in the
industry," he adds.
'The program has lots of great content"
says Leo Leavitt, a technical specialist on
Cominco Ltd. 's emergency response team
in Trail, BC. "our class was mostly
industry, but it's relevant for fire
departments too."
"These are the tank cars we use ... and
the equipment is similar to what we'd use
in an incident," adds Doug Clouda of CXY
Chemicals emergency response team.
An added bonus of the program is the
mix of participants in the class. "This is a
good chance to establish working
relationships with people," says Clouda
"if you've practiced together and
established a mutual confidence level,
things will go smoother when you're
working together on an actual incident."
"With a cross section of people, you
learn from the others in the class .. you
become a resource for each other" says
Cominco's Leo Leavitt.

Continued on page 5
FIRE & SAFETY DIVISION NEWS

Fire Service Leadership Diploma
The Fire Service Leadership Diploma Program has
received a huge response. Over 100 students have registered
for Diploma Distance Ed courses for the fall of 1999. The
n Fire & Safety Division is also offering Fire Officer I in
a classroom format this fall and has 21 students enrolled.
The reports from the students who registered for the
first semester are very positive. Students feel the courses
are useful and relevant to the fire service.

Fee Increase Announcement
We have unfortunately underestimated the tutor costs
for the course and need to increase the fees to cover this
difference.
Distance Education courses as of April 112000 will
increase to $225.00 per course (plus textbooks). We are
notifying you of this increase now so you can budget for
next year.
Then appreciates the continued support of our programs
from the students and the fire service.

Union Support for the Fire Service Leadership
Diploma/Certificate
The British Columbia Professional Fire Fighter's
Association provided significant input into the design of
the Fire Service Leadership Diploma/Certificate Program
and Bob Brett, President of the BCPFFA in a letter to his
membership said,
"This document (Fire Service Leadership Diploma/
Certificate Program) has been adopted by your Executive
Boards and I believe this new course meets the needs and
requirements for our membership".

Fire Service Leadership Diploma/
Certificate Courses Schedule
WinterTerm 2000
January 4 - March 31, 2000
Registration Deadline December 14, 1999
F105 Station Officer Dealing with People
Fl 10 Station Officer Dealing with New Operations
Fl 15 Fire Station Environment
F150 Fire Prevention Management*
F155 Fire Suppression Management*
F205 Communications: Study Skills
F225 Municipal Finance*
F220 Fire Service Strategic Planning 1*
The following courses are offered throughout the year when
the minimum numbers of students to make up a class are
available.
SlOl Fire Service Instructor 1
S 102 Fire Service Instructor 2
Fl 70 Managing Company- Tactics & Operations*
F160 Strategic Operations & Unified Command

* See course name changes below.
For more information please contact Sherri Rudeloff at
(604) 528-5675 or e-mail srudeloff@jibc.bc.ca to register.

Fire Service Leadership Diploma\Certificate
COURSE NAME CHANGES
Fl20

Old

Fire Strategy & Tactics & Building Construction

New

Managing CompanyTactical Operations

FISO

Old

Fire Protection Management: Prevention, Inspection & Investigation

New

Fire Prevention Management

FISS

Old

Fire Protection Management: Suppression & Control

New

Fire Suppression Management

F220

Old

Master Planning I

New

Fire Service Strategic Planning I

F225

Old

Financial Management in Fire Service

New

Municipal Finance

SEPTEMBER 1999

3

TRAINING
UPDATES

Incident Safety Officer (FS304)

Fire Sate of lclukits
Tile htscLce ~ Fire &
Safety Division is offering Edukit
training binders which include
written training material with a
video for the price of $40.00 plus
GST and PST. This is a one ~
ooly
The cost includes

enor.

~ ant1. han4ng (Please.-:

l10t al INukit titles are at aURWe)

l'F STA Study Guides
lrd Edltion special offer
The F''lm & Safety Dhision is
offering a limitefl numtMr of~
Guides for Essentials 3rd Edition for

$15.00 p1:us OST. Priee ~
~ & ~ '11d$ a first-

Two-2 day workshops are being offered by the Fire and
Safety Division in cooperation with NFPA on NFPA 1521,
Incident Safety Officer. The instructor for these two
workshops is Stephen Foley, Senior Frre Protection Specialist
from the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy,
Mass.

Dates and locations
1. September 25 & 26, 1999 (Saturday and Sunday)
Justice Institute of BC, New Westminster Campus
Room C-230, 0830-1630 hrs
2. September 27 & 27, 1999 (Monday and Tuesday)
BC Hydro Main Auditorium (adjacent to Edmonds Skytrain Station)
6911 Southpoint Drive, Burnaby 0830-1630 hrs
•
•
•
•
•

Cost: $295.00 per student
Class size is restricted to 40 students per workshop
An optional exam is available that can result in a Certificate of Achievement
A list of preferred accommodation is available upon request
To register call IlBC Registration Centre, 528-5590, Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30.

~..,_

Second Edition ot••Risk

Management for the Fire
Service:' now available
Due to ~ demand.. lttslc
Manag811'JMdjforthe FR Jerviee has
been updated, reprinted and is now
~ at $25we@ per "PY~ For
additiemd information and to order,
~etmtaetPat·Camegie-Dtmlep

at~~56.70.

Discount change
~~ 1. ~the

Training Officer 1 s ~Dt for
member departments will be cut
book ttl 10%. The ~nt apples
to all IFSTA training :materials 0tiher
than videos. The current 15% will
be available till December 31, 1999.
Please aUow 4-5 W4eb for tWtvery.
Te onier ~ M Ifl'STA.
~ material please sdl Pat

Caim$gie·~. (1684)5JS...5Qor

fax (604) 528-.S~ @c ~l:
pcarnegie-dunlop@jllc.hc.ca.

4

Shipboard Fire Fighting for
Land Based Fire Fighters
With the attention generated by incidents involving structural fire fighters
being called upon to attend fires on ships and watercraft of all descriptions,
there are many inquiries being made regarding this type of training.
The Fire and Safety Division offers a course to land-based fire fighters that
provides participants with the basic knowledge and skills to act as team
members in responding to vessel fires. Participants will be able to demonstrate
awareness of the hazards associated with the marine environment and shipboard
fire fighting. The course is presented in 3 modules: marine environment,
organization, and terminology; strategies and tactics (including case studies)
and vessel stability; and securing the incident unified command response. This
course is based on NFPA Guide1405.
This course is of interest to frre department and industrial fire brigade
members. Pre-requisites are fire fighter and/or fire brigade training and the
endorsement or recommendation of the fire chief or superior officer. The cost
is $725.00 for 5 days. The course is available at the Maple Ridge Campus or
other locations that can be arranged. For additional information contact the
Maple Ridge Campus at (604)462-1000

FIRE & SAFETY DIVISION NEWS

Continued from page 2

Professionals who want to take the
program must have successfully
completed Hazardous Materials
Operations level training before signing
up.

Here's a snapshot of what the
week-long program looks like:
• Monday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Focus:
tank car anatomy - introduces the
student to all different types of tank
cars, valves and the problems you can
encounter.
• Tuesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Focus:
damage assessment - a systematic
approach, and what to look for.
Donning Level A with medical vitals
before and after.
• Wednesday: 8:00 am- 5:00 pm. Focus:
damage assessment - special procedures such as transfers, grounding

and bonding, flaring, capping, leak
sealing and valve repairs. The ICS
system with team organization
including roles, responsibilities, check
sheet, required to develop a site safety
plan.
• Thursday: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm.
Scenarios - two full scenarios, one of
which occurs at night.
• Friday: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm. Third
response scenario and final test.

Pint Annual
Ob.ftapn Training
Weekend

September 24th, 258,.
26th~ ' "'
The Westside Fire Department wit

be he,s!!ing the first annual
The next Rail Tank Car Specialist
program runs September 20 - 24th.
Additional courses scheduled: October 4
- 8, November 1 - 5, November 29 December 3, January 17 - 21, 2000 and
February 7 - 11, 2000.
For more information on the program
call the JI's Fire and Safety Division at
604-462-1000. Information is also
available on the JI website www.
jibe.be.ca.

training weel«md fer local i.cre
departments.
• Training pr•vided by the Fire &

Safety Division of the Jl\BC.

• Training sut>j,eets iin-OJ;ude
kate,gies and 1acties, Pumps
and. Pumping. BUc'iltl'icg
Censtmotioa, Auto :eootrieatioa,
Maz~mat.Awamness andCliitieal

Incident Stress Management.

• Contact Dean Coltherp at (2SO~
7'68-5tH6 Rxt. 2 :fior moFe
information and costs

lindustry l'telps cause derailment
It's ooe of a kiad in ~ A tmiia demib11 eat for tr±*tc emergency
personnel to respond to derailments involving ~ materials. Tbis
unique tmmmg site is located in Maple Ridge. BC, at the Fire and ..,..
~ Centre of the Justice Institute of BC.
"'We eeuldn't have created this derailment Wiithom helft from industry;•
says John Vokes, Director of the JI's Fire and Safety DivWon. "'Their 1 ppert
was fabUi1ous. lihey donated the rail cars, transported tllembere aind. p~
the crew and equipment to install the cars."
Getting the cars to the site was no easy task. The Fire and Safety Training
Centfe is located on the side of a mountain on the wter edles oi the
community of Maple Ridge. Through the co~ d'01ts of BC R.aiil. CN
.ltai, CPRal. Procor and FMC, the JI was able to ereate the derailment site.
Despite its remote location, the area's mild climate allows the site to be used
for training year 101ll0lli.
The demilmot covers 450 metms and includes 11 cars, low and high
~ tank cus and mtorm0dal ~ ~ of wtrieh are wo11il
$50,000 in scrap metal alone). Its location siml.dates aa actual ml 1ine with
steep arades ami tank cars that are difficult to a.eeess.
The derailment is the training ground for the Jl's new Rail Tank Car
~pro.gram. The site will also be used for the institute's NFPA 472
Hazmat courses and for custom training for clients.
Pot iafomtation of the deralmerrt ~site er~elfiemd hy the
Jrs Fire and ht.ty Division, call ('604) 4t)J,..1«>0 wwwJk..bc.ca.

SEPTEMBER 1999

Continued from page I

topography of many parts of British
Columbia thereby adding to the realism
of the scenario-based training.
The focal point of the new training area
is the eleven rail car derailment. This adds
realism to training as cars are plumbed to
simulate an action of the product that is
typically carried on each car. Simulations
and special effects are done through the
use of propane, artificial smoke and
pyrotechnics, each with the degree of
realism that will provide the necessary
training experience.
Although the primary training is aimed
at industry and rail response personnel,
haz-mat emergency response teams will
also find this training of value. The
development of a prop that includes a
major train derailment provides a perfect
backdrop for training that includes a multiagency response to a major event
involving hazardous materials.

5

Dr. Joseph Cohen Award

People News
Mark Smitton, a technician (Scientific
Technical Officer) at the Maple Ridge
Campus has left that position to take the
full-time position of Assistant Chief Community Safety Officer with the Maple
Ridge Fire Department. Mark had been a
technician first with Pacific Marine
Training Institute the by the Justice
Institute for nine years.
Kevin Perkin, also a technician
(Scientific Technical Officer) at the Maple
Ridge Campus has been successful in his
quest to become a career fire fighter with
the Port Coquitlam Fire Department.
Kevin was a technician at the Maple Ridge
Campus for five years.

Terry Abrams receives award from Dr. Cohen.

Public education achievement
recognized
Captain Terry Abrams of the District of North Vancouver Fire Department
was recognized for his contribution to public fire education in British
Columbia with the Dr. Joseph H. Cohen Award for Outstanding Contribution
in the area of Public Safety. This was presented at the Annual Justice Institute
ofB.C. Foundation Gala in March of 1999.
Terry joined the District of North Vancouver Fire Department in 1975
and was promoted to Fire Inspector in 1983. As a district inspector he
recognized the need for greater public education in the area of fire safety
and it was then that he made his commitment to making this happen. Since
that time, he has developed or played a major role in creating public fire
education programs such as the Doo-Bee Program, the Bum Awareness
Week kit and the Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Awareness program. Terry
has participated in the training and delivery of the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) program, Learn Not To Bum to school children.
Terry has been a director of the BC Professional Fire Fighter's Bum
Fund and has been a coordinator and counselor of the Summer Camp for
Bum Injured Children. He is an adjunct instructor for the JIBC, Fire and
Safety Division in the area of public fire safety education and safety.
Our congratulations to Terry on receiving this prestigious award. Keep
up the good work.

Both Mark and Kevin have been focused
on careers in fire departments and are
delighted to see their employment goals
become reality. We wish both of them
every success in their new endeavor.

Blake Smith has joined the team at the
Maple Ridge Campus and replaces Mark
Smitton. Blake has been a part-time
employee at Maple Ridge for
approximately two years. Welcome to the
Fire and Safety Division.

Contributions
to the. newsletter are
welcome.
Please direct all material to
Pat Carnegie-Dunlop.
Fax: 528-5660
E-mail:
pcaniegie~dunlop@jibc.bc.ca.

6

FIRE & SAFETY DIVISION NEWS