Recommended changes will improve emergency response

Deputy Fire Chief – Dave Cockle
Email: dcockle@oakbay.ca
Phone: 250 592 9121

An administrative report prepared following a major water main break on Bowker Ave. on Nov. 20, 2012 has identified several problems associated with the cause of the incident and makes several recommendations for changes in policies and procedures.

“We know that there were things we could have done better,” said Mayor Nils Jensen. “What’s important now is that we address the harm that was caused and make sure that we learn from our mistakes and make sure they’re never repeated.”

The water main broke when a Public Works crew followed a long-established practice of replacing a fire hydrant on a “live line”; a procedure in which the water is not shut off before the replacement is installed. Unfortunately, the bracing of the live valve failed, releasing a significant flow of water from the 18 inch water main.

“Our report addresses this practice,” said Mark Brennan, Municipal Administrator. “In future we will require a shut-down of the line before any such work is undertaken.”

The report also says that the situation was aggravated by out-of-date shut off valves in the area that closed with a left turn instead of the standard right turn closure. “We have only ever encountered a handful of these among the approximately 1600 valves on the system, and the left turn valves at Bowker were not marked or previously recorded,” said Mark Brennan.

As a result, the report says that Public Works crews found that shutting the necessary multiple valves was difficult and time consuming.

The report addresses this issue and recommends a complete inventory of the system so crews know the location of any system anomalies before work is undertaken.

Protocols for activating the Emergency Operating Centre (EOC), coordinated by the Deputy Fire Chief, are also reviewed in the report. “It took approximately two hours to get word to the Fire Department. We know that they should have been called much earlier,” said Nils Jensen. “That kind of delay will never happen again.”

The report acknowledges the effectiveness of the EOC response and the work of the many volunteer support staff who assisted at a nearby emergency reception centre where they provided temporary shelter and other supports to Bowker street residents whose homes had flooded.

“We regret the damage that was done and the stress that has resulted from this situation,” said Nils Jensen. “The report speaks to how we can do things better in the future and makes recommendations for mitigating the harm to the families whose homes were flooded.”

It is anticipated that the report will be considered by Municipal Council at its first meeting in January.

Access Event Report PDF