Firefighters were called to an accident scene, responded to a reported structure fire and several fire alarms throughout the week.
On Jan. 21 at about 9 a.m. fire crews were called out to a vehicle collision, which occurred at the intersection of Fourth Street and Second Avenue. The report stated there were minor injuries and fluid leaks.
Firefighters assisted the Estevan Police Service with traffic control. EMS treated and released drivers of both vehicles on scene.
One of the vehicles suffered significant damage, and firefighters had to isolate and de-energize it and address the fluid leaks. Then the scene was turned over to the city police for further investigation.
More calls for the fire department came in on Jan. 27. Just after 9 a.m., fire crews were dispatched to a reported structure fire that was potentially occurring in a house on Fourth Street.
Fire Chief Dale Feser said that once on scene, firefighters were able to talk to 911 callers, who saw an off flow was coming out of a vertical venting of the water heater furnace.
"No initial signs of fire picked up. The homeowner was out of town, but we were able to contact the homeowner and gain access into the home and verify that no fire was indeed occurring at this location, so the home was re-secured," Feser said.
After the thorough investigation, with no signs of any kind of emergency occurring, firefighters assumed that what the 911 callers saw was the sunrise reflected in the steam coming out of the vent and mimicking fire.
The next call came in at about 6:30 p.m. the same day. Firefighters were dispatched to the northwest part of Estevan, where a fire alarm went off in a private house. It turned out to be a cooking-related incident.
"There was some minor smoke that still remained (in the building), but not enough to work ventilation efforts by Estevan Fire Rescue staff. The homeowner actually forgot their password at the time, which could have avoided the unnecessary dispatch of the fire department," Feser said.
He reminded the public to keep their passwords safe, but handy to prevent any unnecessary calls for the emergency services.
Jan. 28 also saw fire crews out in the community on several occasions. At about 7 a.m. a fire alarm went off on the east-central side of Estevan. Crews gained access into the commercial building, but there were no signs of a fire occurring. It turned out that the pressure in the water sprinkler system was low, which was the cause of the alarm.
"It's not uncommon with larger buildings that have larger and more elaborate fire suppression systems and fire alarm systems. Every once in a while we do see faulty detection devices there," Feser said.
As soon as the crews returned to the station after clearing this call, a report of a residential fire alarm occurring in a private house in the south-central part of Estevan came in. Once again there were no signs of fire, and further conversation with the homeowner gave a better understanding of the situation.
"It was discovered that the grandchildren accidentally tripped the system. There was a fire logo on their monitor system. The young grandchild was trying to turn on the fireplace, and he thought that it was the button to turn on the fireplace.
"No harm, no foul. This was an accident, but just a gentle reminder to talk to all family members and educate small children on things to touch and not to touch in a home," Feser added.
Estevan Fire Rescue Service also held their regular training on Jan. 26. Some of the new team members going for certification took some in-house instructions on fire life safety training initiatives.
