By Robin Tarnowetzki
Journal Staff Writer
The Humboldt Fire Department is embarking on a three-year strategic plan to improve operations at the department and provide better service to the people of Humboldt.
The department brought in consultant Les Karpluk, who retired from the Prince Albert Fire Department earlier this year and who still teaches programs at Dalhousie University, Lakeland College, and the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
"We wanted to bring an outsider in to have a fresh set of eyes to take a look at the department and find out where things are going well and where things aren't going so well," said Mike Kwasnica, fire chief for the Humboldt Fire Department.
Over the course of about a year, Karpluk looked at every aspect of the fire department - such as occupational health and safety, education, and public relations, and came up with 71 recommendations, broken down by priority.
Priority one recommendations should be completed within three months, priority two within six months, priority three within 12-18 months, and priority four within 18-36 months.
While 71 recommendations seems like a lot, Kwasnica is confident that the department can implement the changes within the three years, and that the department has already begun implementing some of them.
Recommendations for occupational health and safety include implementing a personal accountability system and updating standard operating procedures. For fire suppression, some recommendations are to implement a chain of command for emergency events. Recommendations for training and education include implementing training programs for officers within the fire department and to look at budget requirements for additional training. As far as fire inspections and public relations go, Karpluk recommended creating an inspection schedule for local businesses and developing a public education program for businesses and the public. He also recommended identifying what rescue service levels the fire department will deliver. Recommendations for administration include reviewing policies and procedures biannually. Recommendations for resources include implementing a formal vehicle replacement program and developing a capital reserve fund for replacement of vehicles and protective equipment.
"We want to be a safer department, and we definitely want to be a more efficient department," Kwasnica said. "We want to focus on the things that we do well and re-evaluate the things that we don't do very well."
