The Estevan Fire Rescue Service (EFRS) had a fairly quiet holiday season with a few calls for service in late 2020 and early 2021.
Fire crews responded to an accident, fire, and several carbon monoxide (CO) and fire alarms.
On Dec. 24, at about 12.30 a.m., the crews were called out to a CO alarm that went off in one of the buildings on Henry Street. Firefighters assessed the building and found some CO in the home. They ventilated the building and turned it back to homeowners.
"You want to make sure that you call the (local) fire department or 911 when your CO alarm goes off because it's always best to have us come in and test to make sure and verify. Even if there is no CO and it's just a faulty detecting device, at least you have peace of mind," said Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser.
Later on that day, at about 2:30 p.m., firefighters also responded to a fire alarm that went off out in the RM of Estevan, in a commercial occupancy by the bypass. It was quickly established that it was a faulty detecting device. With no emergency happening, crews returned to the station.
The EFRS had a bit of a break over the Christmas holidays and were called to service again on Dec. 27. The call came in at about 10:30 a.m. A vehicle fire was occurring just outside of the city limits, east of Highway 18.
"There was no injuries as a result to the owner of the vehicle," said Feser.
It was found that people were repairing a tire, and an electric portable pump that was being used was overheating due to a malfunction and resulted in a fire. The vehicle was significantly damaged.
The next day at about 4:30 a.m., a commercial fire alarm went off in the northwest end of Estevan. Firefighters checked the location, and it was deemed to be a faulty detection device, which was recommended to be fixed.
Later that day at about 7 p.m., firefighters responded to a vehicle vs. deer accident. There were no injuries, but the vehicle was undrivable. Specialists had to isolate the vehicle and take care of some of the leaks that occurred as a result of the collision.
The rest of 2020 was quiet, as was the beginning of the new year all the way until Jan. 3, when firefighters responded to a report of a residential fire alarm going off at about 12:30 p.m. Crews were on route to the scene when the homeowner was contacted. The person confirmed that the detection device went off because of the steam that escaped the bathroom. Incident command went on to verify the information, while crews were stood down and returned to the station.
