There's little Squamish firefighters can do but watch when it comes to fighting boat fires on anchored vessels.
Last week, Squamish Fire Rescue practised drills for responding to blazes on crafts tied up in marinas. The fire department responds to fires on vessels that are tied to a dock or attached to shore. But the department has no capability of fighting fires on anchored boats, said fire chief Russ Inouye.
"We don't really have any jurisdiction over those boats," he said.
When faced with such a situation, the department's responsibility is to prevent the fire from spreading to shore.
Some large municipality have water vessels to fight fires, although they're mostly used to tackle difficult to reach shoreline fires, Inouye said. As for large cargo crafts, like the freighters Squamish Terminals serves, Squamish Fire Rescue members are only allowed aboard to do their job with permission of the boat's flag country.
Squamish Fire Rescue doesn't have a list of local boats that people live aboard, Inouye said. However, he said that it might not be much help, as there are often visiting boats in the harbour.
Just like homeowners, boaters need to ensure their crafts have smoke, propane and carbon monoxide alarms aboard, Inouye said. Fire extinguishers should be a part of all vessels' gear.
"Self-preparedness and prevention is of the utmost importance," Inouye added. "Boat fires can consume boats quickly and first responders may arrive too late to save lives."
Waterways are governed by multiple jurisdictions - federal, provincial, municipal and private water lot owners. The municipality is currently working on a marine strategy that will help provide some context around that, District of Squamish spokesperson Christina Moore said.
"One of the big questions in our marine environment is where our jurisdiction lies," she said.
The document will shed some light on whether the district has any authority over live-aboards, including firefighters roles.
