The call from the 911 dispatcher comes at 1 a.m. There is a house on fire in Spruce Home, 20 kilometres north of Prince Albert. The occupants have evacuated, but an adjoining garage and workshop contains fuel cans. The Incident Commander on duty at Buckland Fire and Rescue takes the call.
P25 radios emit a tone in the bedrooms of two dozen firefighters in the RM of Buckland and Prince Albert. Within minutes, the IC knows exactly how many members are available to fight this fire.
At 1:16 a.m., Engine No.1 and five members leave the hall fire at 15th Street N.W. and Whitfield Road. Within three minutes, another engine and two tankers have departed with six more members.
By 1:24 a.m., they are all on site. The IC has taken stock, and the engines are connected to the tankers. During the drive, he ordered in two more water trucks.
Had the weather been dry, he could have called in still more resources from partner emergency services across central Saskatchewan. In a rural area, it’s always better to arrive with too much than with too little.
The members move fast. From three hoses they pour water down on strategic points of the fire. The house is badly damaged, but flames never reach the garage or the trees. Neighbours bundle up the newly homeless family.
By 6 a.m., the fire is extinguished. Security tapes off the area. Job done, Buckland’s crew heads for the hall.
While four members wash down the trucks and dry the hoses, a captain writes the report. By 7 a.m., they all can head home, change and drink a strong cup of coffee before going to work.
Although they’ll receive a $20 honourarium for each hour they spent fighting that fire, it’s not their job. They are volunteers.
Are these men and women tired? For sure, but they’re also pumped. Their co-ordinated action just saved someone’s livelihood, and it’s not even breakfast. Next time, they might save someone's life.
Most firefighting across Canada is done by volunteers, but unlike most fire services, Buckland Fire and Rescue is not a department of the local government. It is a co-op, owned and run by its members. It’s been protecting the people of the RM of Buckland since 1969.
Back then a small fire hall housed one 20-year-old truck and a tanker. In addition to buying a $30 share, 200 members paid $5 to $10 annually for the suppression of house, grass and forest fires.
In the last 15 years, Buckland Fire and Rescue has vastly extended its range of expertise. Its 34 firefighters attend vehicle accidents, conduct technical rescue (high-angle, trench, water, building collapse) and search and rescue. It operates three fire engines, two rescue units, an ATV (for off-road situations) and five tankers.
Amazingly, almost all this gear is purchased new, through targeted fundraising. About two of every three RM residents are members, as are most of the firefighters. They organize bingos, auctions and run the gate at local events. A steak and lobster dinner every April is a big money maker.
While a share still costs $30, members pay a mere $100 (businesses, $150) for all these emergency services. In addition, the RM pays a retainer.
So a lot has changed in 47 years.
What hasn’t changed is the appeal of this kind of service to a certain kind of person. To be a rural firefighter, you have to be able to take directions and work as a team member coolly and efficiently in dangerous, volatile circumstances.
You have to be able to attend weekly training sessions and get certification in emergency first aid and in operating specialized equipment. You have to have an appetite for action.
Some of Buckland’s firefighters can run 100 metres with 20 kilograms of gear, but not all. There’s plenty of duties for people who can’t haul a hose through the bush. If you don’t have a stomach for accident scenes, you can always do traffic control.
What you do need is a compassionate nature for dealing with people in deep trouble.
Surprisingly, another prerequisite is to be able to say “no.” Volunteer firefighters can’t let the vocation compromise their family, their health, and the job they get paid for. If you can manage 200 or more hours a year, so be it. If you can’t, do less.
There are members who did 30 or even 40 years of service before retiring. Others take all these skills and experience and make firefighting their career. No problem with that. Firefighters are like brothers and sisters, whether they are rural or urban, professional or volunteer.
Does any of that sound like you? Battleford Fire Department, which also serves the RM of Battle River, is a volunteer department. For more information visit www.battleford.ca or call 306-937-6208.
