In our ongoing Estevan 2020 series, we are taking a look at the Estevan Fire Rescue Service and the expected evolution of the department over the next few years.
Deputy fire Chief Dale Feser spoke at length with The Mercury and said one of the keys for the department is proper planning and ensuring that local firefighters are trained to handle any situation placed before them.
Feser noted that over the last couple of years the volume of calls they handle has increased to the point where they are averaging one every two days.
Further to that, Feser said the nature of calls runs the gamut from house fires, fire alarms, motor vehicle collisions, hazardous material calls and carbon monoxide calls, something he chalks up to Estevan's growth.
"The rate of occurrence has a direct reflection on the population," he said. "There are just more people out there on the roadways and there are more people in the city. It definitely has a direct bearing on the call volumes."
In looking forward, Feser said they do their best to make projections for the future, but the nature of their business makes that extremely tough. However, when they are able to, he and Chief Ron Tocker make contingency plans for the various situations they might encounter.
An example, he noted, is when construction on the carbon sequestration unit at the Boundary Dam Power Station began.
"Maybe they are working with elevated heights. When we are developing emergency response plans we are going to have to take into consideration we are going to need the mine rescue team or the SaskPower emergency response team to assist us because they have all the equipment and individuals that are very well trained," he said. "A lot of that is done in preplanning stages. They invite us out and take a look around and see what we are facing."
Feser said another area that requires preplanning is hazardous materials, which has become a much larger issue in Estevan with the continued growth of the oil industry.
"We are looking at developing our hazardous material response program further based on a directive from council," he said. "The amount of hazardous just warehoused inside of our city, let alone what is transported through our city by rail or highway transport truck is phenomenal. It's amazing some of the commodities that are transported through the city that no one knows about."
Feser added that equipment is also a big factor when it comes to being prepared. He said through the Internet they are able to stay on top of the latest equipment and tactics being used by fellow firefighters.
As was well publicized, the department also received a new aerial fire truck in 2012 that will allow them to handle a number of situations, notably blazes in the taller buildings, which are becoming the norm in Estevan.
"Predominantly what we are seeing is a lot of four-storey construction going on which is combustible. We had some difficulties reaching those heights and to be honest with you, we couldn't have reached the utmost roof portion if we needed to. This takes that right out of the equation. This is light years above what we were doing. It's definitely the wave of the future. We are very fortunate that we were the first city in Saskatchewan to have one."
Feser said their units are allowed 20 years of service before they must be replaced. With the purchase of the aerial truck, which also included a pumper, he said they are in good shape for the near future.
Looking into the future, the City of Estevan has earmarked land in the Dominion Heights subdivision for a new fire hall to complement the current one on Third Street. No date has been set for when construction might begin, but the hall is in the City's long-term plans. The location makes sense as Estevan's future growth will be to the north and it would also give the department a hall on each side of the train tracks, although Feser noted with three crossings in the city, they are usually able to find their way through. He did add they could use more room as their surplus equipment is currently kept at the City yard.
Another interesting question is how will the make up of the service evolve over the next few years.
At present there are just two full-time employees in the department - Tocker and Feser - while the firefighters are paid on-call volunteers. Each member has a full-time job and must rely on the generosity of their employers to allow them to leave their jobs to attend calls.
However, with the demands continuing to grow, the obvious question is how long will it be before the department is forced to hire full-time firefighters?
When asked, Feser said he was unable to speak on the subject at this particular time.
However, it isn't tough to draw the conclusion that such a move is nearing for the department. Yorkton, which has a population of around 17,000, has 17 full-time firefighters according to that city's website. Other Saskatchewan communities of similar size have a mixture of full-time firefighters and paid on-call volunteers.
