The Martensville Fire Department (MFD) is once again gearing up for their annual Fire Prevention Week Open House and BBQ. The event will take place on Wednesday, October 9th from 5pm-7pm and everyone is invited to come out to enjoy supper and get a look at the Martensville Fire Hall and the trucks. Sparky will of course be in attendance!
Fire Prevention Week takes place from Sunday, October 6th through Saturday, October 12th and this year’s theme is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape”. The purpose of this theme is to remind us how small, preventative actions can make a big difference in keeping yourself and others safe from fire. This is a way to encourage families to make a home fire safety escape plan and practice it regularly. In 2018-19, there were 14 deaths caused by fire in Saskatchewan. Thirteen, or 93 per cent, occurred in residential properties. For more information on fire escape planning visit NFPA.org, or talk to a member of the MFD.
At the open house, the public can also view a new addition to the MFD. “We now have a propane fueled car fire prop which will be on display on Wednesday. This kind of item is the future of fire training. When a car goes up in flames, it gives off a lot of toxic smoke, so having this propane car, it is clean burning and we can add liquid smoke which is non-toxic to make it more real. It is a big step in safety for firefighters when it comes to live fire training,” MFD Chief Kurt Dyck explained.
Another new addition that the local fire department is looking forward to will be coming in June 2020. “This past June, we ordered a new rescue truck that will be a combination of first responder calls, vehicle accidents and rescue calls. It will be an all-encompassing vehicle which we are really excited about. Currently, we use two separate vehicles to hold all of our equipment, so this will be nice to have,” Dyck added.
On average, the MFD responds to one call/day resulting in 350-360 calls each year. Most commonly, it is medical calls that first responders attend to. Each of the 33 members of the MFD are trained First Responders and they meet each Wednesday for training.
