OLDS — Four Olds firefighters drove to fight the wildfires in Jasper Wednesday night, bringing with them a specialized fire truck for that purpose.
In an email, Olds Fire Department Chief Justin Andrew told the Albertan that “last night, a widespread call-out was made by Alberta Emergency Management to municipal fire departments in Alberta to request support for the volatile situation in Jasper.”
“The decision was made to send a pumper truck with four Olds firefighters at about 7 p.m. and the truck departed Olds at 8:30,” he wrote.
“This pumper is unique, being that it has compressed air foam capabilities which were proven to be an invaluable asset during the Fort McMurray wildfires years back, and so the hope is that it can again be of value in Jasper.”
“As administration, we have been monitoring the situation locally and had previously declined a request for assistance due to our local conditions, but determined that the resources required and what we had available would be suitable to provide support now,” Andrew wrote.
The Albertan had asked Andrew what impact sending firefighters to fight fires in Jasper or elsewhere could have on the capability to fight fires in Olds.
“When we make determinations to send assistance to another area, an evaluation is always conducted of what our conditions are and the status of resources we have available,” Andrew wrote.
“We will never knowingly leave our community under-resourced to assist another area, but we are also very cognizant that with the current trends of wildland fires occurring, there may be a time in the very near future where we will rely upon others coming to assist us if an incident were to occur in the West Country.
“We hope that by being reliable support to others, we will see the return of that effort if we require it. This is truly the premise of all fire departments, and this is why you see such mass mobilization from across the province.
“We are fortunate enough that we have a strong pool of resources with modern equipment that is highly effective, staffing that supports stable response locally and abroad in times like this, and support from a community where employers are willing to allow the flexibility of their staff to leave work to travel to other communities to assist,” he added.
Andrew was also asked about the possibility of sending firefighters to fight a wildfire in the Municipal District of Bighorn 25 kilometres west of Water Valley.
“We have been and will continue to communicate and monitor the situation locally, especially in the western portions of Mountain View County, and as a region, we all work together to provide the essential service of fire response to the people of our communities,” Andrew wrote.
