The Beiseker Fire Department volunteer firefighters want to gain a more prominent role within Rocky View County. Representatives from Rocky View County and Beiseker say they hope to strengthen the partnership.
Currently, Beiseker can only respond to emergencies on Town-owned land. Beiseker firefighter, Lt. Greg Verrall would like to see Besieker be able to respond to more emergencies in the area.
“It would be great if we could respond to other emergencies that are close to us,” Verrall said. “It sucks being so close and not being able to respond to some.”
“We really just want to help.”
Rocky View County Fire Chief Randy Smith said he likes the improvements the Beiseker Fire Department has made and would like to help them develop even more.
“We would love to get them out more,” Smith said. “They’re making major steps to having a bigger role.”
Beiseker and Rocky View County share the same dispatch frequency, as the City of Calgary.
This helps other departments maintain contact and share information on various emergencies that could require Beiseker Fire to attend.
Smith said that he and Beiseker Fire Chief Bob Ursu will keep in contact to maintain and strengthen the relationship between the two departments.
Over the past year, the volunteer department helped during the 2013 December winter storm – including setting up shelters for stranded travellers.
The fire department was also involved with various other emergencies in and around Beiseker, including car accidents and carbon monoxide calls.
According to Ursu, the fire department has been trained in providing other immediate emergency services while waiting for an ambulance to arrive on scene.
“One hundred per cent of our calls in the last year or so have been medical calls,” Ursu said.
“We have a first responding team put together to respond to a medical call.”
Ursu mentioned the firefighters do this in order to gain necessary information from the patient and assist them, in case ambulance service is delayed.
Beiseker’s fire department is always on call. This ensures that if a serious emergency occurs, response is imminent.
Volunteering year round
There are more than 20 people who volunteer.
For them, this is a year-long volunteering service and dedication is paramount. Firefighter Ian McNaught is one of two firefighters who take the trip up from his Calgary home to Beiseker, to volunteer his services to the Village of Beiseker.
McNaught is also one of two firefighters who attend university. The other is Verrall.
Many of the members of the department have jobs during the day, but consider the department a second home.
“We’ve got a gym, a barbecue,” Verrall said. “We’re set up in case we have to stay overnight.”
Verrall went on to say that he enjoys giving back to the community of which they all have ties to.
Fire truck
In May 2013, the department received a new fire truck that was used to replace its predecessor from the ‘70s. The newer E-one model is a pumper, that has other utilities such as more stowaways for axes, shovels, temporary signs for other drivers amongst other tools.
“This fire truck is much more capable for us to use,” McNaught said. “We’re much more prepared to handle emergencies.”
McNaught also said the previous truck did not have nearly as many amenities as the newer one. With the newer fire truck, they are able to be more prepared for various types of emergencies.
Village council purchased the truck in 2013 after taking out a $100,000 loan. Many donations also went into making the purchase possible.
The truck can carry six firefighters inside the cab. The self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA) – tanks that provide firefighters breathable air – are cleverly placed inside the seats in the cab. There is also room on the side of the truck for a dozen more SCBAs.
The fire truck can hold and use up to five hoses at the same time – some with different gauges for different water pumping systems.
Considering Beiseker is surrounded by rolling fields and farms, fire hydrants may not be accessible. To work around this, the truck allows firefighters to draft water from wetlands and ponds to be used on the fire.
“We’re set up to respond to a lot of different types of fires and emergencies,” McNaught said.
Members of Rocky View County council and Beiseker council will meet on May 29 to discuss how further improvements to the services can be made.
