Monday night’s Langley City council meeting was chockablock with reports and information. I posted about some of the items covered yesterday. Today, I will be posting about the remaining significant items that were on the agenda.
Langley City Fire-Rescue Service continues to be extremely busy. Fire Chief Rory Thompson provided an overview of the overall trend in the number of calls that the Service responds too.
 |
| Langley Fire-Rescue Service call growth since 2011. Select image to enlarge. |
The opioid overdose crisis that is hitting all BC communities is resulting in increased call volume, but there are other factors at play at well. Chief Thompson noted that more investigation will be necessary to find what other factors, such a population grow, are contributing to increased call volume.
The following table shows more details about the types of calls Langley City Fire-Rescue Service has responded to over the last seven quarters. Medical emergency and motor vehicle crash calls are the largest category of calls. One of the areas where there has been an almost double of calls is for hazmat response.
 |
| Langley Fire-Rescue Service call statistics (2016-2017). Select image to enlarge. |
Considering the large amount of medical emergencies and motor vehicle crashes that Langley City Fire-Rescue Service responds to, could anything be done to reduce these types of calls while maintaining the same level of service?
The opioid overdose crisis response is lead by Fraser Health and the provincial government. It will take their leadership to reduce the number of overdose incidents in our community.
The City has a direct roll to play in decreasing the amount and severity of motor vehicle crashes and incidents. Speed, impairment, and distraction are contributing factors to around 85% of crashes in BC.
Introducing traffic calming and narrowing streets will slow down traffic. Langley City is working to change the geometry of some streets in our community. By making our community more accessible via non-motor vehicle modes of transportation, we can give people safer ways to get home if they have a drink or must check social media. The City is working to build a mixed-use downtown, and is investing in enhancing sidewalks throughout the community.
Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) works. One of the recommendations of Langley City’s Crime Prevention Task Group is to promote CPTED reviews in our business community. The RCMP provides free CPTED business assessments. As part of the upcoming business license renewal process, Langley City will be distributing the following brochure.
 |
| New crime prevention brochure for businesses - outside. Select image to enlarge. |
 |
| New crime prevention brochure for businesses - inside. Select image to enlarge. |
I am hopefully that businesses in our community will take advantage of this free program to help reduce crime.
No comments:
Post a Comment