WEST Vancouver firefighters saved a burning home from destruction Wednesday night in what assistant chief Martin Ernst described as "an excellent model of how things work when they work well."
The occupants of a Telegraph Trail home called 911 at about 9: 30 p.m. and told emergency dispatch operators there were flames in the roof of the house.
"The operator advised them to get outside and wait for the fire department," Ernst said. "That's exactly what they did, which is a really good move."
Four trucks and 18 firefighters attended the scene, Ernst said.
"Initially it was an exterior firefight, meaning that firefighters did not go in until they had some backup, and by that time they had knocked down the fire extremely quickly. They were there for a couple of hours but the actual firefight was extremely fast. They had the fire under control in about 15 minutes."
Ernst said the swift reaction is due in part to the department's new management plan.
"We use something called the incident command system, which is very rigourous. It's similar to what you'd see used in a military theatre. Everyone has a job and that job gets done. It's meant to promote safety, the safety of the public, and to get the job done quickly."
None of the occupants or the responding firefighters was injured. Investigators were unable to start their work until the following morning.
"We don't deem it suspicious right now," Ernst said. "We're looking for natural causes."
