It has been another busy month for the Bentley District Fire Department. Since our last report, we have had 11 calls.
On October 29, six members responded to a vehicle fire on a local highway. The fire appeared to start in the fuse box of the car, but the driver was able to pull the vehicle over and call 9-1-1. The fire was extinguished with just a bit of water and, considering the circumstances, there was relatively little damage to the car.
On October 30, we were called to the scene of a vehicle and storage building fire. The fire had actually burned the night before, and only a few portions of the debris were still smouldering when we arrived. Both the vehicle and the storage building, including all of the contents, were a total loss. RCMP were also called to the scene to investigate. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Later the same day, members were called to a Birch Bay street where a tree had fallen onto a power line and caught fire Firefighters cordoned off the area and waited for a Fortis technician to come and deal with the power line. Then, they were able to assist with clearing the large tree out of the roadway before returning to the station.
On November 1, the department was called out to Birch Bay again, this time for Alarms. Red Deer Dispatch stood the department down as it was determined to be a non-emergency.
On November 8, seven members responded to assist EMS crews at the scene of an accident involving heavy machinery. Firefighters worked to help the patient but, unfortunately, they were declared deceased on scene.
An alarms ringing call came in on November 9, which turned out to be a non-emergency, and the members were stood down en-route.
On November 11, the departments was dispatched to assist Ponoka County West’s Fire Department with a chimney fire. Before trucks from Bentley could get out the scene, they were stood down by the other department.
A chicken coop on fire brought the department out on November 12. By the time trucks arrived on scene, the structure was a total loss, with several chickens and turkeys being lost as well.
Later on the same day, six members assisted EMS with a patient who had fallen down some stairs. Firefighters assisted with patient care, as well as transfer to the waiting ambulance.
Out 90th call of the year came in on November 14 for a tractor fire. The tractor was fully engulfed in flames when the department members arrived, but were able to extinguish the flames before it caused much damage to a nearby structure.
If you are interested in becoming part of the Bentley District Fire Department, we are actively seeking recruits. Practices are every Monday night, except long weekends. The pay isn’t great, but the benefits are outstanding. (Those being a tremendous sense of accomplishment, knowing you are helping the community, and a set of life experiences like no other.) Contact Fire Chief Ian McLaren at 403-304-5792 if you would like to know more.