Fire Safety

In past years we have had several fires in the Bay. In all those instances we have been fortunate that our advance planning has enabled us to quickly get on top of each situation and minimize the damage.  Fire Pump owners, please help us prepare for every season: 

• The owners of fire pumps should service and run these pumps to ensure they will be ready in the event of an emergency.  Most of our pumps are Honda WH15XT high pressure pumps.  Here is a link to the owners manual https://cdn.powerequipment.honda.com/pe/pdf/manuals/00X31YH66000.pdf
• Fire pumps should be stored in an easily accessible location, preferably near your dock, and clearly identified.
• Store all necessary accessories with the pump including a small amount of gasoline.
• Become a member of the Emergency Only BICA WhatsApp group.
  • Enable notifications in the group
  • Apply a loud, long, easily recognizable notification tone such as a firetruck siren
  • Group admins are David Gallup, Patrick Thoburn and Celesta Bjornson

Cottage owners need to be able to convey critical location information in the event of a fire or other emergency. Note your Island GPS location or What3Words in a readily available place such as on your refrigerator.  The GPS location of a fire start-up is even more helpful if that is possible for you.  If you are not a member of the Emergency Only BICA WhatsApp group, you can call someone near you who is in the list below.  After notifying the Emergency Only BICA WhatsApp group, you should also call 911. Fire Pump and Defibrillator Locations by region:

Fire Pump Locations Aug 2023	Location	Emergency Only BICA WhatsApp Group	Cell Phone	Defibrillators
Hilly Acres Camp	Whitefish Falls	No	Camp 705 285 4226
CENTRE:
Allison, Lisa	TP 2761	Yes	513 236 2842
Baker, Jeff	TP 2430	Yes	740 624-4850
Bjornson, John	TP 2567	Yes	206 650 5399
Boatman, Scott	TP 2709	Yes	303 886 1582
Burdis, Michael	TP 2538 Brush Island	No
Burton, Ryan	TP 2434 Lot 2	Yes	416 939 1085
Clackett, Gary	TP 2263	Yes	705 862 0087
Cook, Laurie	TP 2298	Yes	705 282 7076
Cowan, Ted	TP 2409	Yes	416 660 5545
Dobbins, Nick	TP 2276	Yes	903 969 0851
Drolet, Reg	TP 2707	No	705 968 9424
Fournier, Rick	TP 2782	No	249 360 1539
Gallup, David	TP 2282	Yes	864 569 8420
Lariviere, Carolyn	TP 2260	Yes	705 690 6725	Yes
Leibold, Mark	TP 2475 Ireson	Yes	602 540- 500
Lunham, Greg & Nancy	TP 2473	Yes	Camp 705 285 4328
Lunham, Tim	TP 2473	Yes	705 788-4359
Marshall, Trevor	TP 2243	Yes	705 562 6714	Yes
McLelland Island (Paul, Kirby)	TP 2566	No	705 863 3030 (Kirby)
McLelland, Mike	TP 2445	Yes	604 838 0001
McTaggart, Keith	TP 2445 lot 1	Yes	416 994 8495
Montgomery, Justin	TP 2431	Yes	860 460 1578
Montgomery, Lynda	TP 2431	Yes	860 389 3257
O’Connor, Steve	TP 2475 Ireson	Yes	519-664-1901
Paisley, Mark	TP 2475 Ireson	Yes	519-575-8345
Phillips, Liz	TP 2245	Yes	647 654 4238
Phillips, Patricia	TP 2445	Yes	250 342 5284
Redston, Chris	TP 2708 lot 2	Yes	604 763 3463
Richards, Jamie	TP 2261	Yes	416 817 3004
Santin, Neil	TP 2243	Yes	416 561 3560
Scott, Cory	TP 2761	Yes	317 319 5076
Tremblay, Lee	TP 2241	Yes	705 919 9860
Verbeek, Ian	TP 2475 Ireson	Yes	519-577-4131
Walker, Chris	TP 2533	No	317 727 8432
Whyatt, Antonia	TP 2570	Yes	647 988 4621
Williams, Bill	TP 2780	Yes	705 791 1516
WEST:
Baker, Larry	TP 2617	No	512 785 0479
Cummins, O.M (Koke)	TP 2830 & TP 2831	No	419 564-0707
Goodyear, Juanita	TP 2792	Yes	519 823-6268
Jackson, Andy	TP 2762	No	602 501 9696
Jackson, Scott	TP 2593	No	602 540-9501
Jones, Bobette	TP 2346	Yes	705 863 2550
Jones, Terry	151C Lakeshore Rd Birch Island	Yes	807-626-4271
Kiefaber, Tad	TP 2659	No	937 830 0553
Moskal, John	TP 2809	No	705 521 0864
Ross, David	TP 2794	No	705 665 4411
Shewchuk, Zach	TP 2592	Yes	705 863 2881
Thoburn, Patrick	TP 2662	Yes	416.508.5602
Wilkins, Tony (Clement, Todd)	North Shore	No	705 521 4121
EAST:
Farner, David	TP 2985	Yes	412 889-8179
Gilbert, Robert	TP 2688	No	705 968 0145
Hamilton, Jane	TP 2690	Yes	705 822 7190
McKechnie, Andy	1424 Bay of Islands Dr, Whitefish	No	705 862 8207
Moskal, Paul	TP 2300	Yes	705 920-1444
Reeves, John	TP 3051	no	705 795 0407
Roy, Fern	Red Deer	No	705 929 6365
Sterne, Rick	TP 2502	Yes	519 755 5800
Wickendon, Bill	??	No	705 522 3474
Yusko, Marcella	TP 2308	Yes	705 863 0900

It was very dry last year, and we don’t know what the weatherman will arrange for us this year.  So, we need to be prepared.  The GBA provides useful things we can do to help prevent fires around our cottages as well as inside them.  It’s worth a look to see what can easily be accomplished to minimize your danger from uncontrolled fires.

The GBA has an excellent Fire Prevention list that can be found at: https://georgianbay.ca/?s=fire+safety

FireSmart Canada has many excellent ideas on reducing the risk from wildfires from landscaping to home construction.  They also give out annual awards to organizations like ours for wildfire preparedness.  https://firesmartcanada.ca/firesmart-at-home/

NEMI has a bylaw pertaining to open air fires and fire permits: By-Law #2016-14: Open Air Burning Amended

 How to Print a Member Phone Book:

When you sign-in to the Membership section of the website, you are given access to the searchable Member Directory. You can search the directory for member information and you are also able to print a copy of the Member Phone Book by clicking on the Printable Phonebook tab. This is a convenient way to get an up-to-date phone list of all the BICA members. Members with fire pumps available are tagged with a flame symbol beside their name. You are encouraged to print a copy of this Phone Book every year and keep it in a visible location within your cottage so it can be referenced in the event of a fire.

NOTE: This web page is intended for general information purposes only. While we have attempted to provide information that is helpful for our readers, BICA accepts no legal liability for the contents of this web page. Ensure you check original sources of information on fire prevention and response for further details and updates. Check details of the general liability provisions of your insurance coverage if you are involved in providing or supporting firefighting equipment, planning or advice. For advice regarding your insurance needs or liability insurance coverage, please contact your insurance broker.