A joke resulted in fire crews’ activation and a police report.
At about 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Estevan firefighters were called to a commercial fire alarm in the north-central area of Estevan. Upon arrival Estevan Fire Rescue Service members couldn’t see any visible smoke or flame on the exterior of the four-storey hotel.
Initial indications from the staff suggested that it was a faulty detection device. However, when crews entered the building staff pointed out that the fire alarm pull station has been activated.
“Upon further investigation the fire department actually learned that it was at a different location from what the staff thought it was. So we gained access to the ... area, where somebody had maliciously entered the structure from the exterior door and activated the pull station,” said Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser.
Firefighters ensured that there was no emergency occurring and assisted the onsite staff in resetting the system.
“A reminder that this (falls under) the Criminal Code for any disruption or tampering life safety devices in the occupancy,” said Feser.
The information about the case was provided to the Estevan Police Service (EPS), and the staff was advised to contact the EPS to see if they could recover any videos of the individual(s) who has entered the building and activated the fire alarm pull station. They also can proceed with charges.
Other than that, at the end of last week fire crews were busy conducting prescribed burns cleaning up the Chinook Bay area. The burns went well and the area is open for new vegetation now.
