Carseland Firefighter safety

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

Concern about the building site for the new Carseland Hall brought resident Kurt Emde to Wheatland Council on July 7, with a suggestion for an alternative building site.
Relying on his past 16 years of firefighting experience, he dedicated personal time to gather information that might effect the safety of volunteers responding to the hall.
“Given the stressors, factors of something happening to volunteers responding to the hall are high,” said Emde.
He outlined the proximity to Hwy 24 and the high traffic flow of approximately 1,700 vehicles and 450 semi trucks utilizing the road daily, as potentials for delay or accident.
Railway crossings were included as a hazard; whether the train was blocking the crew from getting to the hall, a train carrying hazardous cargo, or any derailment that would cause an emergency situation where crews could not reach the hall. He said hazards with anhydrous ammonia were a possibility as there were businesses processing the chemical in the area. The off-gas is undetectable and with prevailing winds, the plume, may cut volunteers off from hall access.
He said the adrenaline rush associated with getting to a call often heightens the potential for accidents. He clarified volunteers need to learn to control internal stressors, but planning ahead for uncontrolled hazards can improve safety.
Emde furthermore presented suggestions for alternative response routes and an alternative site location that would reduce safety hazards.
Fire and Emergency Services Manager Judy Unsworth said that one third of the volunteer firefighters live outside of Carseland and part of their contract stipulates a commitment to respond to all calls. She presented a map plotting the calls responded to by the Carseland hall for 2013/2014. She said it could be used as a reference in decision making processes.
The new hall hopes to include two drive-through bays, an attractive exterior and have room to provide intensive training facilities for the fire crews. The site will need room for a 120 by 120 foot building and 2-5 acre training/parking area. It was noted that a hall close to residents often received complaints due to siren use.
Council discussed the presented information and gave alternative viewpoints on the information presented. It was pointed out Emde’s suggested site, situated north east of Carseland, had a water course nearby that could have environmental impact issues.
“It’s a catch-22 situation,” said Councillor Ben Armstrong. “Conditions can be dangerous no matter where it goes.”
CAO Alan Parkin objected to the presentation, as he felt it did not represent the views of the community, firefighters or the fire association.
“This is just the opinion of those here today,” said Parkin. “The fire chief, fire crews and association didn’t have a problem with existing plans.”