The Millet Fire Department responded to as many alarm calls in 2017 as it did traffic incidents.
Fire chief Steve Moen attended Millet town council’s Jan. 24 meeting to give councillors a rundown of the department’s year.
Of the 33 alarms calls firefighters responded to last year, 65 per cent (21 calls) were in town; 21 per cent were in the County of Wetaskiwin and eight per cent of alarms calls were in Leduc County.
Moen says there were multiple calls to repeat locations, stretching across business, municipal and residential sectors.
At this point he does not feel the repeat alarms calls are a problem at this point, but mentioned the department is open to working with council if it did become an issue of costs and time.
“I think more people have alarms now days, that may be one of the reasons,” said Moen.
A portion of the alarms calls were carbon monoxide alarms. “A lot of times that is a faulty detector. It’s quite common for them to fail,” said Moen.
Moen added, with many of the alarms, the department was told to stand down before they had even dispatched. However, the department still chooses to send members to the location. “It makes them feel safer, like they have some protection in the community.”
Over the course of 2017 the Millet Fire Department managed 33 traffic incidents, eight motor vehicle fires, 11 medical first responses, 27 fires (structures, and grass/wild lands), and nine other incidents (fuel spills, electrical hazards, and smoke investigations).