The Estevan Fire Rescue Service (EFRS) didn’t have a moment’s rest last week, as they were busy with illegal burning, fires, a road accident, a station tour, a car seat safety clinic and community Easter celebration.
The week opened up with the illegal outdoor fire in the southwest area of the city on April 15. The call came in at about 3 p.m.
“Attendants of the property were asked to extinguish the fire immediately as they were just raking leaves into a pile and starting them on fire,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser.
Burning leaves, branches or any other type of yard or household garbage within the city limits is prohibited. Feser encouraged people to take advantage the Operation Clean Sweep, when citizens will be able to use the landfill free of charge and the city will be picking up the packed yard waste from houses.
The week continued same as it started with the EFRS responding to a call about an empty tank being on fire outside the city limits on Tuesday morning.
“We were called in for an assessment, as the crews actually working at this particular business already had fire suppression means in place, but just wanted to do an assessment on there,” said Feser.
Firefighters found that it was safe to let the tank burn out.
On April 17 at about 7:30 p.m., the EFRS were alerted to a structure fire on Mayfair Bay. Once they arrived on the scene, firefighters could see there was little to no visible smoke or flame from the exterior of the home. The occupants escaped the home uninjured, and said there was a hot electrical smell from the kitchen area. A fire was found in the attic space.
Crews deployed a hose line, and suppressed and extinguished the fire, which was caused by faulty electrical wiring.
Feser reminded citizens of Estevan to regularly check and replace their fire alarms, and if having a monitoring system to make sure that the homeowner is the first point of contact.
“This is your first line of defence when an emergency of a fire is occurring in your home,” said Feser.
On April 18, firefighters, along with the Estevan RCMP and the Estevan Emergency Medical Services, were called to a two-vehicle collision at the Boundary Dam Power Station.
“It sounded like it was a case of somebody accidentally hitting the accelerator instead of the break, causing damage to a vehicle,” said Feser.
There were no injuries due to the collision. The scene was turned over to the RCMP for further investigation.
The same day the EFRS hosted students from St. Mary’s School with about 35 people learning about fire safety, touring the station and trucks and doing some crafts. Besides, on April 20, fire department in conjunction with the Estevan RCMP and Estevan Police Services held a car seat inspection clinic.
The week came to an end on the positive note with firefighters attending the Living Hope Community Church carnival at the Estevan Comprehensive School track.
“We had a static display of fire trucks as well as an interactive little area for the kids to come over. They were able to use a pressurized water extinguisher and knock a ball of pylons, which found to be very popular with the kids there,” said Feser.
