Princess Gate is a tranquil condo complex kitty corner to the City Centre Aquatic Complex where residents are quietly crisscrossing the grounds and halls on a sunny afternoon. Many in the over-55 residence are quite nimble. Others need some sort of aid, like Fran Boucher, 79, who uses a walker.
But how do they get out, or how do they get accounted for when a fire breaks out or an earthquake strikes?
"I would probably panic," said Boucher.
That admission comes even though she has been through it before. Nine years ago, while vacationing in Mexico, she awoke to find flames running up her arms. The former nurse passed out and the next thing she knew, she was in a Mexican hospital. Eventually, she had to be airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital. These days, chronic knee and back issues have reduced Boucher's mobility, which would be a problem in an emergency.
"I try not to worry about that too much because you could drive yourself nuts. But still, fire can be fire," said the 15-year resident of Princess Gate.
Somebody did think about it, though.
Strata president Charlie Young worried about how one resident he knew would make out in an emergency. That's when his training in a previous life as a public health and safety inspector kicked in. He realized there were many more in the complex whose lives would be jeopardized because they couldn't get out and he vowed to do something about it.
"I was concerned for their safety," Young told The Tri-City News. "You never know when it's going to happen. You don't want it to happen but, being an old boy scout, my motto is 'Be prepared.'"
So at his urging, the strata council decided to ask if any residents would be interested in becoming floor wardens to make sure all of their neighbours were safe in an emergency.
That request caught the eye of Bob Coss.
"When I read that paragraph, I said. ‘Darn it, what a good idea,’” said Coss, who's 72.
He told Young he was not only interested in being a part of it, but taking the lead on the project.
"To my surprise, 16 residents said, ‘Hey, I'm interested,’ " Coss told The Tri-City News.
Now, each of the eight floors has two wardens who have received two days training in fire safety, evacuation and the handling of fire extinguishers.
Coss estimates 15 to 18 residents of Princess Gate, which was built in 1994 and has 187 units in two four-storey, wood-frame buildings, would require assistance.
"We need to help and support each other," Coss said. "If we were to save the life of one resident or one human being, there's no value you can put to it."
One resident is blind, another five or six are in a wheelchairs and others use walkers, said Coss. In addition, discreet stickers on their doors tell emergency responders who needs assistance or has a pet inside. The floor wardens can also point the responders in the right direction to those who need help and whom they can't get to.
"They were so pleased. It was such a relief to know that in the event of such a crisis, they would be supported by such a team," Coss said.
Lawrence Chai took the floor warden training and also helps Coss on the strata's fire prevention and evacuation safety committee. He said many who took the course didn't know how to operate a fire extinguisher or use a fire blanket to snuff out flames.
"It's a matter of time [before a disaster strikes]," Chai said. "You can never know when the fire or earthquake can happen.
"When we have drills, the residents are more confident in the event of an actual fire. They know exactly where to go, what to do and what not to do. Time is of the essence."
The floor warden concept is something Coss believes would be beneficial to other strata properties. He said he recently got a knock on the door from two women from the North Shore who were visiting another Princess Gate resident. They wanted to know if he could do a presentation at their complex.
"We feel all complexes would benefit," said Coss. "If you don't have a plan, how do you respond if you have a fire or an earthquake?
"You wouldn't believe how much this would help the fire department. It creates a sense of security amongst all residents if a crisis does occur.
"Why do they have it in the schools? Why do they have it in most corporations? They do for the safety of their employees, the safety of their students. So why not for complexes like ours?"
