A firefighter works to extinguish hot spots following a small grass fire at the corner of 12th Street SE and Fifth Avenue on the Southeast Hill on Sept. 29. The fire burned a couple acres but did not cause damage to nearby homes.--NEWS PHOTO SCOTT SCHMIDT
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat firefighters responded to 23 outdoor fires as well as two structure fires last month, including assisting in battling a large wildfire east of Dunmore near the Cavan Lake regional campground.
The wildfire broke out in the early afternoon Sunday, Sept. 21, and threatened 12 residential homes and the campground before it was contained that afternoon and officially extinguished the following Tuesday, Sept. 23.
Firefighters also responded to a grass fire near 12th Street and 5th Avenue SE on Sept. 29 and released a public safety notice regarding dry, windy conditions.
Crews also responded to 25 motor vehicles calls and assisted police with three calls for service last month.
Additionally, crews responded to 34 medical response calls, nine calls related to Carbon Monoxide and other gases and 56 fire alarms.
Early in September, local firefighters held a formal ceremony to honour Firefighter’s Memorial Day and held their second public open house to celebrate the service’s 125th anniversary.
The free public event, held Saturday, Sept 13 at Station No. 3, also included a live vehicle fire demonstration, fundraiser barbecue, equipment demonstrations and family events.
Fire crews also participated in an emergency event exercise on Sept. 12 held at the Unit 17 satellite power generators located north of Highway 1.
The exercise was a routine safety requirement aimed at helping ensure local crews as well as plant staff are fully prepared in case of a real incident.
Fire crews also took a moment to honour fallen heroes with a moment of silence on Sept. 11.
Later this month the service is preparing to host its second ever Fire Fighter Gala to celebrate 125 years of service on Oct. 25 at Co-op Place.
