President’s Note – June 2024

I am writing today to inform you of some upcoming safety improvements being made to our range facilities that will require some minor adjustments to our schedule and range procedures
while the work is underway.

As part of our ongoing process to ensure our ranges meet the stringent safety standards established by the RCMP and CFO, we will be adding side berms to the RP range, with construction beginning early in June. These berms will run down both sides of the range, from the firing line to the backstop, and will be constructed of earthen material to a height of 2.5m. They are designed both as an additional containment measure for the range, and to restrict access from adjacent areas where activity is taking place. The first phase of this effort is to have a massive quantity of material brought onto the range. These loads will begin arriving June 10th, at a rate of approximately one truck per hour. When these trucks arrive, the designated RSO on the RP range must IMMEDIATELY order a cease fire and safe the range, and give approval for the truck driver to dump their load. Once the truck has departed, the range may return to HOT status. Please ensure these trucks are immediately afforded a cease fire upon arrival, as time is money in this case, and we need them to be able to arrive, dump and depart as quickly as possible. They must not have to wait for shooters to complete a serial; an immediate cease fire will be required.

Phase 2 of this project will see heavy equipment on the range to shape and compact these berms into place from the delivered material. This work is expected to take place in late June; however, we are still in the process of solidifying the exact dates. Once the dates have been established, the membership will be informed via email and the dates will be posted on our calendar. We expect the RP range will be closed completely for a day or two. This will allow the machinery to get the berms constructed, as well as remove a number of small ricochet-hazard rocks on our backstop. We will also be working to clean up, paint and refurbish the RP range as part of this project, taking advantage of the time we have to complete this work while the equipment is working downrange. All of this work is critical to ensure the continued safe operation of this range for our nearly 5,000 members.

As you may have noticed around our facilities, we have put in a great deal of effort of late in enhancing and upkeeping our facilities. We had expected to see a drop in membership given the current Liberal government’s ongoing attacks against law abiding firearms owners. However, I can happily report the inverse has actually occurred, and not only have we sustained our membership levels, we are actually seeing another year of potential growth in our numbers.

To keep up with this growth, we have done a great deal of work around the range, and I hope the results of that are visible and appreciated by you all. Not an exhaustive list, but recent improvements have included:

● a new fishing dock,
● LED range and security lighting,
● exterior refinishing of the Clubhouse including new railings and landscaping,
● a new deck on the MP Clubhouse,
● significant upgrades and new roof on the Airsoft field barn,
● new picnic tables,
● a new pumphouse structure to ensure water supply to the range, and
● the crown jewel of our efforts, now nearing completion, a new 50m range and several new MP bays ranging from 25-40m in depth that we hope to open to the membership
this summer.

The staff have worked very hard to keep our ranges safe, functional, and well maintained, and they are very deserving of a hearty thank you from us all for their hard work and dedication, as well as the volunteers that have supported those efforts. Please be sure to pass on your appreciation to the staff as you see them going about their duties around the range.

I want to thank you in advance for your patience and support as we implement these important safety upgrades on the RP range. Your cooperation in ensuring these loads of material can be quickly and safely delivered over the next month will set us up well for the berm construction during the RP range closure near the end of the month for a few days.

Andrew

Andrew Lemon
President
Victoria Fish and Game Protective Association