Over the past two months your fire department has been called out to 20 emergencies:
At 4:13 pm on July 24 6 members were sent to a 2-vehicle accident at Highways 20 and 771. All occupants were safely out and not seriously injured so traffic was controlled, and the roadway was cleaned of fuel and debris before clearing the scene.
On July 24 at 10:02 pm crews were called to Gull Lake for a watercraft in distress. Lacombe FD was called in with their boat as well. Cell phone contact was made with the operator and the LFD was directed to their position. They were towed back to shore with no injuries.
At 9:40 pm the next day Bentley was called out to Sunbreaker Cove on Sylvan Lake with reports of alarms ringing. The alarm company consultant met the crews at the seasonal residence. The cabin was inspected and no carbon monoxide was detected so the consultant re-set the alarm and the scene was cleared.
On July 31 at 10:31 in the morning ten members responded to a structure fire call at a Bentley home. Lacombe FD was immediately called in as Mutual Aid. They were stood down once the home was inspected and no fire was detected. A stove in the basement had been in use and the element had started smoking. Both residents were not hurt but were asked to remain outside while crews inspected with the thermal imaging camera. A fan was used to clear the small amount of smoke. The culprit was later found to be the plastic handle of a screwdriver, accidentally left under the stove lid by a worker.
At 9:12 pm on August 3 firefighters were called as Mutual Aid to Eckville Fd for an MVC in their area. Crews were stood down before leaving the hall.
Later that same night a call came in reporting an outside fire at a rural home south of Bentley on RR 28-1. A small pile of household garbage was found burning on the side of the roadway and was extinguished.
Early the next morning firefighters were summoned to help conduct a search for a missing person on RR 2-0 north of Bentley. Members spent 4 hours searching the area with the TIC and canvassing neighbouring homes and properties before the person was found safe on the road at Highways 53 and 771.
On August 17 at 3:37 pm a Medical Assist call came in, for a worker who had fallen from a 14’ height. A STARS landing zone was set up at the rural property and members assisted EMS with the patient’s care, packaging and transfer to the helicopter.
The next day at 3 pm a grassfire call was received. Eckville FD was called in as Mutual Aid. The large fire had started in a field and was moving toward a neighbouring home and yard. The fire was contained but not yet extinguished when Bentley received another call. This scene was left in the capable hands of Eckville while the BFD went to their other call. This was reported as a wildland fire “spreading in all directions.” Ponoka County West was called in to assist. Bentley arrived first and was able to stand down PCW as the fire was no longer spreading. This fire turned out to be a controlled burn but as no burn permit was in place it was extinguished. The scene was left in the care of the homeowner.
At 2:32 in the early morning of August 21 nine members were sent to an alarms call in Bentley. The alarm company reported that the smoke alarm had been activated. The residents were at home and this turned out to be a cooking incident and a non-emergency and tired firefighters returned to the hall.
Later in the afternoon that same day crews were called to Gull Lake for another water rescue. Once again Lacombe FD was called in to assist with their boat. They were stood down once it was determined a Good Samaritan was towing them to shore. The boat’s motor had malfunctioned and Bentley crews helped remove it from the lake. No one was injured.
At 7:26 pm on August 25 the BFD was sent to another alarms call, this time at a rural home west of town. No smoke or fire was present at the address given, and the homeowner was confused, since there was no emergency and 911 had not been called from the home. The alarm company’s contact person was called with no response so a message was left. The nearest neighbour was also consulted with the same mysterious result.
Shortly before noon the next day eight members were sent with Bentley’s Tender as Mutual Aid to Ponoka County West for a bale fire in their area.
Shortly after noon on August 28 crews responded to another alarms call at Brighton Beach on Gull Lake. The fire alarm had been accidentally activated and the homeowner reported this as a non-emergency.
On September 6 at 6:40 pm six members responded to a baler fire on RR 28-2 and Twp Rd 400. A bale in the baler had started on fire. The operator had dropped the bale while neighbours brought a disc to break up the surrounding area. The baler operator had also used the extinguisher on the machinery. Firefighters arrived to a fully involved bale in the ditch and proceeded to use water and foam to put it out. The TIC was used to check for hot spots and the entire area was thoroughly soaked. There were no injuries and only minor bearing damage to the baler.
At 2:32 pm on September 14 thirteen members responded to a structure fire in Bentley. Lacombe FD was summoned as Mutual Aid to assist the BFD with a heavily involved home on the Main Street. All 6 residents were safely out of the building so a defensive attack was launched to bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to the houses on either side. Several hose teams surrounded the home and eventually the blaze was extinguished. Some great local people have arranged housing and other necessities for this displaced family and the fire is being investigated.
While in the thick of this fire the BFD received another call; a grassfire burning at the corner of Highway 12 and RR 28-2. Fortunately, some kindly passersby had put out most of it and firefighters extinguished the rest.
On September 18 several members were sent to an MVA just west of Highway 20 on Highway 12. A gravel truck had been heading west on Highway 12, plowed through the stop sign at Highway 20 and went through the intersection at a high rate of speed, narrowly missing 2 other vehicles. The drivers of these vehicles followed the truck west where it suddenly stopped, jackknifing across the highway. Upon BFD’s arrival the driver was frantically trying to fix the broken driveshaft, possibly in an attempt to flee the scene. His truck keys were removed and he was monitored until RCMP and EMS could arrive and question him further. Traffic was carefully managed throughout and the BFD was later released from the scene.
And on September 19 at 8:03 am crews responded to a vehicle on fire, at the intersection of RR 28-4 and Twp Rd 400. This was called in by RCMP and the vehicle fire was extinguished so it could be towed away.
We are looking forward to seeing you all at our upcoming Halloween At The Hall!
Look for more information in the newsletter and we’ll see you on October 31!