This past month your fire department has responded to nine calls:

• On June 23 at 4:11 pm firefighters were called to a Bentley house to provide RCMP with PPE (personal protective equipment) for an investigation they were conducting. Two hours later crews were requested to return to the same home to carefully remove the resident, who had passed away earlier, under the direction of RCMP and the coroner.
• Mid afternoon on July 26 firefighters were sent as Mutual Aid to Eckville, to the scene of a 2-vehicle accident at an intersection in their area. Six members were sent along with Bentley Tender to provide the water supply.
• In the early afternoon of July 4th seven crews were sent out to an outside fire at a rural residence. Prohibited debris was being burned in an illegal burn pit, so firefighters extinguished the blaze with the assistance of Ponoka West, who had been called in to help.
• At noon on July 6th a call was received of a vehicle fire at the intersection of Highways #12 and #20. A garbage truck was involved and the bin's contents, recycling items, were on fire. The driver had wisely dumped the burning debris onto the paved shoulder and driven ahead a short distance. The pile was fully involved upon arrival, so traffic was carefully managed while the smoking garbage was extinguished and moved aside for removal.
• Early in the morning of July 7th eleven members raced to Woody Nook Road, south of Woody Nook Church. A vehicle travelling south had left the road and travelled some distance in the grassy ditch before hitting an approach and flipping onto its passenger side. The driver was conscious but trapped, so the vehicle was first stabilized then cut open with the shears and the occupant removed under the direction of attending EMS. The patient was sent by ambulance to the hospital and the scene was then released to the RCMP.
• On July 11 at 3:05 pm a call came in of an outside fire at the Bentley Cemetery. A controlled burn was being conducted with a burn permit in place and the caretaker had called prior to inform the fire department, but a concerned passerby had called 911 so crews are required to attend. A quick investigation and speaking with the caretaker assured all that everything was proceeding according to plan.
• At 4:17 pm on July 13 five members were sent to a Bentley residence where alarms were ringing. The BFD was stood down once the homeowner and alarm company were in contact and determined this was a false alarm.
• And shortly before midnight on July 14th twelve firefighters were sent to a machinery road north of Bentley where a vehicle was on fire. In the rainy muddy conditions the road was impassable for the fire trucks, so the neighbours who had reported the blaze, kindly offered a lift to the scene on their ATV. No one was in the truck, which had burned down considerably, so it was monitored for a time to ensure it would not spread to the surrounding trees, then left for RCMP who had been called in to investigate.

This July the Bentley District Fire Department received its new Rapid Response Unit. This truck will be used for extra crew transport as well as fire suppression and extrication purposes, especially useful in multi-vehicle accidents where more than one set of shears and spreaders are needed and timely assistance is vital. Thank you Lacombe County, it will be put to good use!