Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 edition - Body armour for firefighters?

đ§ High 6C
Good morning!
My parents will be in town this weekend, and Iâm trying to figure out where and what I should take them to. I take great pride in my tour guide role, but Iâm struggling a little. None of the hockey teams are playing home games and itâs supposed to rain. If you have any ideas, let me know in a reply to this email!
â Grace
Support local journalism by supporting The Current. Become a Current Insider member today and help bring local stories to life.
Traffic & Weather
đ¤ Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope
đ Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBCâs latest updates.
đŁ You can check DriveBCâs highway cameras here.
NEWS
Why Mission may buy body armour for its firefighters

Firefighters in Mission could soon be equipped with body armour. đˇď¸ Shutterstock
Burning buildings arenât the only risk that firefighters face on the job.Â
Mission may soon outfit its firefighters with body armour following a series of worrying interactions in recent years.
Mission city staff have recommended the municipality immediately spend $15,000 on the body armour. They cite four different events over the last two years, including an âattempted axe attackâ on a deputy chief attending a burning complaint and a recent standoff in which crews responded to an outbuilding fire only for the situation to turn into a police standoff.
Related
Need to Know
â A former MMA fighter who is facing charges after a car crashed into a Langley RCMP office received support from family at his first court appearance [Langley Advance Times]
đ Flooding closed Highway 1 between Chilliwack and Hope Saturday night [Castanet]
đ Chilliwack will celebrate its 150th birthday later this month with fireworks and food trucks [Chilliwack Progress]
đ¨ Two shootings were reported within 10 minutes of each other in Abbotsford Sunday; police think theyâre related [Global]
đ Mission RCMP raided an Abbotsford home in late October and seized a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition [Mission RCMP]
đ A âserial sex predatorâ from Abbotsford who worked as a masseur was sentenced to prison [Abbotsford News]
đ A 54-year-old Langley woman has been reported missing and police are looking for information [Langley RCMP]
đ A Langley realtor who dragged a police officer with his car at a road stop has been sentenced to house arrest [Langley Advance Times]
đ Police shut down a large fentanyl lab near Mission after reports of gunfire [Global]
Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!
Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Fraser Valley.
The Agenda

Abbotsfordâs communications department will see a new member added. đˇď¸ Getty Images
Abbotsford to spend $137k on a communications officerÂ
Abbotsford city hall will spend more than $130,000 to add another body to its communications department for a year, but the plan triggered rare opposition around the council table last week.
The city will spend $137,000 to hire one communications staffer who will be tasked with providing information to residents about city programs and services, Abbotsfordâs financial manager Kamal Basatia said Monday. âThis provides more opportunity for residents to learn about the work the city is performing.â
Mayor Ross Siemens described the cityâs current two-person communications department as âvery leanâ compared to other municipalities. Those staffers respond to media requests and provide information through city press releases and social media channels.
Council has already approved the additional body, though the matter returned to the council table Monday as part of a comprehensive update to the cityâs five-year financial plan. Coun. Simon Gibson said the projectâs cost didnât seem like an efficient use of money.
In response to a question from Coun. Mark Warkentin about how the project will be evaluated after the pilot project concludes in a year, city manager Peter Sparanese said: âThe performance measures are articulating the things we have achievedâor that you have achieved as council over the previous year.â
Coun. Patricia Ross said the position was needed. She said she regularly hears from residents complaining about a lack of information regarding city works and activities, and could result in more and better feedback on what can be done better.
Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.
As part of a membership, you get our special weekend roundup of all the things you mightâve missed each week!
đ Things to do
Learn: The Mission Library will be hosting a talk on sustainable cemeteries on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Details online.
Hockey: The Vancouver Giants will play the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the Langley Events Centre. Details and tickets online.
Dance: The Bez Arts Hub in Langley is hosting an all-ages community dance party? Expect to party like itâs your cousinâs wedding. Details online.
Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.
Catch up
Thatâs it!
Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today âĽď¸Â
If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another local.
And before you go, please let us know:
What did you think of today's newsletter? |

Help share The Current
Wouldnât the Fraser Valley be better if more people had access to local, quality news â and didnât have to rely on social media? Share The Current with your friends and help us build better communities.