Q&A with fire chief Christopher Carleton

Point Roberts fire chief Christopher Carleton has been with the department since 2010 and has been fire chief since 2012. During the same time, he has also worked full-time as a paramedic with the Ferndale fire department. Much of his time lately has been spent working on the district’s capital facilities plan and ways to finance current and upcoming expenses of the fire district.

APB: Why is the fire district seeking a levy lift at this time?

CC: Last year we were only able to put away $11,000 into our capital facilities plan (CFP). In 2018, we developed our first CFP and we updated that from 2023 through 2036. In doing that, we realized we have $4 million in CF needs and that doesn’t include our regular costs. Meeting with our various consultants, we examined different funding possibilities and decided to stay with a straight levy. We are a debt-free agency and we intend to stay that way.

The commissioners decided to go with a 45¢ levy which would put us in an advantageous position. Our goal is to put away $300,000 a year in order to start overcoming those challenges of infrastructure needs. We don’t have the savings with our current levy. Plus we have other challenges coming up. Some of our local volunteers will be aging out in the next one to five years and we will need to replace them, possibly with paid personnel from the county.

APB: What are some of the achievements that you’ve accomplished during your tenure?

CC: We’ve basically doubled the number of volunteers we have to put into rotation to staff our weekend, weekday and weeknight program. We do our best to have at least one medically trained volunteer or member in the agency at all times, 24/7/365 days a year. We have reduced the insurance rating, meaning homeowners pay less for fire insurance. We have more efficient apparatus, saving operational costs. We have trained 36 EMTs, half of whom have gone on to advanced medical training. We have trained over 300 community members in CPR and started a community paramedic home program used by 7-8 people on a regular basis.

We offer free CO/smoke detectors and home safety inspections. A major cause of falls in the home are due to rugs and runners and we point this out to people. We have installed portable defibrillators at the church, the marina, Lighthouse Marine Park and the Marketplace. We obtained a $60,000 grant from the Colton Foundation that allowed us to purchase a Lucas devise that helps to perform mechanized CPR when needed. APB: Speaking of medical care, how does the district’s response time compare to other agencies in the county? CC: We are the tip of the spear when it comes to arriving at the scene. We arrive within six minutes. County standards for urban settings is to arrive within 8 minutes 80 percent of the time. For rural, it’s 12 minutes. We have never arrived at a medical emergency without a medically trained person and we are the only agency that offers advanced paramedical care.

APB: How much does it cost to outfit one firefighter?

CC: A minimum of $6,700 for one firefighter plus $6,000 for an airpack good for 15 years. Bunker gear lasts 10 years, helmuts, 5-6 years. We buy gear that might not fit the next firefighter once someone leaves. We don’t hire for the gear we have, we hire the best person we can. APB: How would you describe the department’s relationship with outside organizations. CC: Our district has a level of respect from other agencies both in B.C. and the county. We work with local groups such as CERT and others.

APB: As a paid member of the agency, I know you can’t advocate for or against the levy. Still, how would you like to see the vote go?

CC: I would love to see an overwhelming support from the community towards the department, the volunteers and the services we are proud to provide to Point Roberts.