Firefighters needed to protect Strathmore

Miriam Ostermann, Times Associate Editor

Recently the Strathmore Fire Department exercised some avant-garde approaches in hopes of shoring up its volunteer members as department numbers are scarce and the increase in demand due to a mutual aid agreement, the TransCanada highway, and growth spurred through local developments, is leaving Strathmore vulnerable to risk.
Earlier this year, town council was informed of the challenges facing the 25-member department where its size was identified to be insufficient to continue protecting the community. As a result, the department was granted the authority to expand its volunteer base and support a proactive move towards accommodating future growth and rising call volumes.
Searching for a swift Band-Aid solution that grew out of necessity, Strathmore Fire Department fire chief Trent West added five highly trained and skilled individuals, who are part of protective service departments at the oil sands, to the team to provide solidity before the typical recruitment process began.
While the current call volume is typical to a town of Strathmore’s size – between three to five calls a week – the new mutual aid agreement with Wheatland County is expected to result in an increase in demand.
“I’m trying to catch the department up to its size but more importantly its risk,” said Trent. “The stars are aligning for creating that regional partnership and collaboration around disaster emergency services, and so we’re going to take advantage of the fact that we’re all in place. We can move things faster, because in emergency services things only move at the speed of trust and there’s a lot of trust.”
The fire department is aiming to attract a wide diversity of applicants to the team, bringing new skills, such as language and trade prowess, and building a sympathetic relationship with local businesses.
Alberta has 435 fire rescue departments and 14,000 firefighters who serve the province – 80 per cent of whom are volunteers. As only the fire chief and deputy fire chief in Strathmore are on the payroll, despite town council having approved funds for a third paid position in the past, the department is made up of volunteers.
One of the challenges Trent outlined was facing reluctance at one’s employment situation. However, he said while individuals may get called out to a location, it only adds up to seven per cent, where 93 per cent of the time the business would have a trained individual in protective services with possible medical training.
Last May, 20-year-old Jessica Pinkney joined the Strathmore Fire Department as a volunteer in hopes of gaining enough experience to apply full time with the fire services in Calgary. Although she said she noticed an increase in her generation lending a hand and volunteering in general, she has seen firsthand the difficulties of finding enough manpower at the fire department in Strathmore.
“Even having 30-some firefighters, it’s hard to get a good amount of people here for a call,” she said. “We need at least four people on a truck to respond and if you ever needed the extra manpower backup it’s really hard to call people out when this isn’t their primary go-to, it’s not their main job. In a small community like this the community relies on its services such as fire, the town hall, and they rely on paramedics. It’s important to have those resources to be available for our citizens to make the community safe.”
Applicants, who must be 18 years old and carry a valid Class 5 driver’s license, can expect to undergo three months of training to get their professional firefighter qualifications. Recruits will take part in training on Tuesdays when they will get various training from hose handling to boat use, and theoretical training around firefighter behaviour, and orientation around apparatuses.
Trent is also working on developing a 10-year strategic plan, a prudent growth plan for the fire service and the addition of a second fire hall or station to tackle the issue of longer response times, before the end of the year.
Application packages to become a volunteer firefighter with the Strathmore Fire Department can be picked up at the fire hall.