Celebration of Lights

Celebration of Lights

• Began in 1990
• The longest running off-shore fireworks festival in the world.
• Draws over 1,000,000 people to the area over the three nights.
• Between 500- 600 power/sail vessels each night.
• Over 600 personal water crafts.
• Integrated Response – On the land and on the water
• VPD, VFPA, VFD, RCMP, CCG, RCM SAR, EHS, St Johns Ambulance, GVTAPs, Transport Canada, Jericho Sailing Centre, Crosby Marine, Tymac Launch Services, COV Beach Lifeguards.
• Between 18-20 emergency vessels on the water.
• Ensuring continuity
• Each night of the event there can and often is new people driving the response vessels who have no knowledge of the event or previous events issues.
• Pre briefing is critical to ensure a coordinated response.

Acknowledgements

• It is important to note that there are months of pre planning which go into the event. The show organizer provides an overall plan which is reviewed and edited by the VPD, the VFPA and the VFD prior to event approval.
• This event runs safely every year because of the hard work and dedication of many groups including a large number of volunteers who freely give their time and energy to this and many other on the water events. They are amazing and their help cannot be overestimated. Thank you to all of the volunteers who are here!

On the water response�RCMP, VFD, VFPA, VPD, CCG, RCMSAR

Methods for Success - Lessons Learned in the last 34 years

• Pre event screening/ public awareness
• Highly visible Police and Transport Canada presence at the local boat launches, Vanier, MacDonald Beach and Cates Park.
• Checking all launching vessels and watercraft for safety gear and required licenses.
• Warning about impaired boating/driving checks after the event.
• Checking vessels on the water for safety gear and emergency equipment.
• Media
• Getting the message out to the public.
• Positive but stressing the no drinking and boating.
• Detailed emergency plans
• Reviewed on the water before each event who is in charge and when does that change.
• Medical - CCG – Egress locations and plans.
• Fire -VFD – When does the VFD run the show.
• Criminal - VPD – The clean up crew for when all else fails!

Methods for Success

• Pre event deployments
• Preset areas and responsibilities
• Event deployments
• Area exclusions – Keeping vessels and people away from the floating bomb!
• Area responsibilities – Shallow water response and perimeter control.
• Post event deployments
• Monitoring high risk/critical areas – First Narrows, Boat Launches, Entry to False Creek.

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Methods for Success – Some Keys

• Communication is a major key.
• Almost every group had their own communication channel.
• Ensuring that everyone is able to access a common channel and that information is passed on in a timely fashion.
• Post event review is a key.
• Prior to each show the previous show is discussed and any issues that arose are discussed and short term solutions are found.
• Yearly review is a key.
• Each year we conduct a detailed after action review to discuss any issues which might have arisen and discuss ways to make the event more accessible and safer each year.
• Each group is invited to the meeting and presents any issues that were discovered and solutions that they can offer.
• Even after 34 years, new issues arise and have to be recognized and resolved.
• Failing to plan is the same as planning to fail

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Overview looking south/east

Overview looking west

500-600 Small to Large Vessels at Anchor

• Many come out of False Creek
• Vessels start anchoring in English Bay at noon and build slowly for 9 hours until the show begins
• All rush to get back in after the event.
• 90% of the vessels are gone within 30 minutes of the end of the show.
• All levels of skills in boat handling
• New boat owners with little to no skill have to negotiate an extremely crowded waterway in the dark.
• New PWC owners play “frogger” to cross the channel.
• All levels of boat maintenance
• A shocking number of vessels discover mechanical issues, especially with lights after the sun goes down.
• Massive line ups at the Vanier boat launch

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Issues from 2023 – Communication with fireworks Barge

• Having electronic devices turned on, specifically broadcasting devices could cause issues with pre deployment of fireworks.
• A simple requirement that was overlooked until it became an issue.
• A need to have clear communications with the fireworks team on the barge pre event, during event and post event was recognized.
• An incident occurred at the end of one of the shows that could not be communicated to the appropriate resource.
• Simple Solution.
• A light on the corner of the barge.
• Simple and clearly visible from a distance
• Green – all clear pre/post event
• Yellow - live fireworks
• Red - Houston we have a problem

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Issues from 2023 – Personal Water Crafts

• No lights.
• No anchor.
• Often lacking some or all safety equipment.
• Launched from any beach or water access location.
• Difficult to prescreen for safety equipment.
• Many need to cross to the south side after the event. “Frogger”
• Unable to handle changes in weather.
• Hundreds were pushed into the exclusion zone by an easterly wind and an ebb tide day 3 of 2023 COL.

The challenge for 2024

Personal Water Craft Exclusion Area

• Creation of a secure area for PWC’s
• Bring them out from between/around anchored vessels.
• Prevent them from floating into the exclusion area.
• Use of a floating barrier to keep PWC’s in place and to keep power boats out.
• Needed to be in a location that voluntarily drew the PWC’s
• Close to the fireworks barge.
• Close to shore for easy egress.
• Secure enough for the PWC’s to be able to hold on to.

Personal Water Craft Exclusion Area

• Simple Solution
• Floating pollution boom
• Anchored on the north side
• Slightly forward of the vessels for visibility

PWC exclusion area just prior to Fireworks

Darwin Award Winner - 2023�4 People, 1 paddle, no PFD’s, no lights just an empty cooler.

• Was adrift, heading out to sea at the end of the show.
• Noticed by a returning vessel and brought to VPD attention.
• Had to be towed back to shore.

There no simple solution for stupidity!

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Best view in the house.

The Future -Drone Shows

• Need exclusion zones
• Similar concerns to fireworks
• Just much quieter!

Everyone’s Safety Issue

• Abandoned end of life vessels.
• A huge problem all along the west coast.
• Cheaper and easier to give away than dispose of properly.
• Average cost to dispose of a 28’ Sailboat ranges from $7000 - $9000
• A major issue in False Creek and English Bay and in every other sheltered harbor along the coast.
• Transport Canada’s WAVA program is approaching $1,000,000 in vessel removal expenses in the last three years. This is for BC alone.
• Updates to the CSA regarding boat ownership and sale are desperately needed to place equal responsibility on the seller and the purchaser to properly register the vessel.

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