June 15 Fire Highlights Safety
At 8:23 a.m. on June 15th, a call came in for a fire on 2nd Street North in Wakaw. The Wakaw/Hoodoo/Cudworth (WHC) fire department responded with seven members, three engines and a tanker. At 8:30 a.m. on June 15th the St. Louis Fire Department was dispatched for Mutual Aid to the Town of Wakaw for a structure fire involving 2 houses on adjacent lots. Six members responded in Engine 1 and assisted the Wakaw/Hoodoo/Cudworth Fire Department in responding to the emergency. Approximately one hour into battling the blaze, a second page was sent requesting more volunteer members to attend and assist as the fire had spread and fully engaged a second structure.
Fire Chief Baker was the first on the scene and noted on arrival a downed live powerline at the rear of one of the structures on fire. Within minutes a gas leak was detected at the rear of the second structure. With dangers identified at the rear of both structures, suppression response could only safely begin at the front.
Residences in the immediate vicinity were evacuated due to the potential hazards.
WHC Fire Department was called to a structure fire outside town at 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning and had only returned to the fire hall two hours before the alarms went off for the fire on 2nd Street North in Wakaw. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency Emergency Response Team (SPSA ERT) was called and attended the fire bringing a trailer equipped to refill air bottles and assisting in making attack lines. One ERT Captain acted as Scene Safety Officer. An Emergency Response Team (ERT) is a four-person team trained to assist local first responders in search and rescue, ice rescue, structural and wildfire response, and local emergency management, and to help set up onsite ICS structure if required. Upon request, these teams are available to assist local responders if they have exhausted their mutual aid agreements or require additional support.
No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported, but according to posts on social media, some pets did lose their lives. The ERT members were able to rescue a pet cat trapped in one of the residences, while WHC members were able to rescue a pet rabbit suffering from smoke inhalation behind the residence. Two other cats missing after the fire have been located and reunited with their owners.
St. Louis members were on the scene for about seven hours. Due to the high winds, the WHC Fire Department was called back to the scene three times to extinguish hot spots in one of the structures. As a result of the fire, the Lion’s Water Spray Park was closed for the remainder of the day on Saturday to allow the water reservoir to be refilled and as a precaution in case fire services were in need again that day. The Spray Park reopened on Sunday, June 16th.
This situation, where the volunteer firefighters had just returned from a call before being called out again highlights the need for more volunteers on the firefighting crew. As a fire and rescue service, the volunteer crews of the local fire departments respond to all types of emergencies from automobile accidents to structure fires to carbon monoxide leaks. They are neighbours who push pause on whatever they are doing to respond to what could be someone’s very worst day, even when, as in this case, they only crawled into bed after a middle-of-the-night call.
CAO for the Town of Wakaw, Melissa Dieno stated, “Our firefighters did an incredible job fighting these structure fires.”
Although volunteer firefighters usually have to work in dangerous situations in their free time while maintaining a paid job, they may also find many benefits. They typically have the opportunity to form lifelong friendships with their colleagues and build positive community relationships. They can also learn safety and professional skills useful in other personal or professional settings. As volunteer firefighters, they may be eligible for tax credits, retirement programs and even scholarships.
Departments require volunteers to participate in continuing education to remember proper protocols and keep up to date with industry advancements. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) released the Fire Service Minimum Standards Guide in May 2022. The guide was created by the SPSA, in consultation with the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs, the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, and the Provincial Training Standards Committee, with a focus on making firefighting safer in Saskatchewan by developing a written set of minimum standards for three levels of service, based on training and equipment capacities.
Besides the obvious need for physical fitness, teamwork is critical to a volunteer firefighter's job of protecting people. They may need to collaborate with others when responding to emergency calls and follow the directions of their supervisors to put out fires, search areas, or block off traffic, whatever the emergency calls for.
No one is immune from a residential fire, and no one expects it to one day happen to them. Follow basic home safety guidelines for smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers. Consult with the local fire department for advice on the quantity, placement, and maintenance of each one.
· Smoke alarms are required in all new dwelling units and sleeping rooms which are not within dwelling units, per Article 3.2.4.21 and Subsection 9.10.18 of the National Building Code of Canada 1995. Smoke alarms are also required on every floor level and must be interconnected. They must be hardwired unless the building is not provided with electric power.
· The National Fire Code of Canada 1995 requires smoke alarms to be installed in or adjacent to all sleeping areas of existing buildings but permits them to be battery-operated alarms and does not require them to be interconnected.
· Dust and grime can affect the operation of a smoke alarm. If necessary, instructions for care and maintenance must be posted in a readily available location. If a smoke alarm is ten, or more, years old, it should likely be replaced.
Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wakaw Recorder
