The Mulhurst and District Fire and Rescue continues to deal with a large number of false alarms noted the department’s fire chief.
Wayne MacDonald, interviewed by The Pipestone Flyer Sept. 28 said the number one callout for the department over the past year was response to false alarms. “I guess that would be a good thing,” said MacDonald, noting there was no damage done or injuries.
He said false alarms can be caused by a number of factors, including burnt toast, faulty sensors and others. MacDonald stated the alarms sometimes come through an alarm company and the fire department is stood down before responding.
The number of structure fires over the past year was small as well. MacDonald said the department may have responded to only one structure fire since last fall. He said structure fires are a much more challenging call to respond to nowadays, as building materials are much more flammable than in the past. He responders have only a few minutes to try to save a structure, as it’s roughly 7 to 15 minutes before a structure can be fully engulfed.
Motor vehicle collisions are another callout that Mulhurst firefighters respond to on a regular basis. MacDonald said he was grateful this year that Mulhurst didn’t have any fatal MVCs, and had only one where an occupant had to be rescued with the jaws of life.
Medical callouts are now a big part of a firefighter’s duties. MacDonald said he’s happy with the training Mulhurst firefighters get which is a level of medical training above basic first aid. He said many of the medical callouts in the Mulhurst area are age-related.
New training that the department is expecting includes water and ice rescue. Both the Mulhurst and South pigeon lake departments will be involved and include training for rescue operations on the lake in summer or winter.
As well, the department is expecting a new command vehicle soon. MacDonald said the command vehicle is usually the first vehicle to an emergency scene.
The fire chief noted he’s happy with the size of his department, as it’s got 22 members. He said it’s a nice mix of age ranges, from young adult to senior citizen. The average age is about 35.
Local residents interested in joining the department can drop by the fire hall any Wednesday evening during regular practice. The hall is located at the 4-way stop on Secondary Highway 616.
“We’re here to serve and we appreciate the support from the community,” said MacDonald. “If you want to volunteer, come on out.”