There were no major fires or motor vehicle collisions over the May long weekend reported by Sundre’s emergency responders.
Sundre Fire Department’s chief, Marty Butts, said last week the kickoff to the camping season — which can typically be unpredictable as many people pour into the West Country — was pretty quiet.
Over the span of the long weekend, the chief said his department received only a couple of calls, including a minor medical response as well as a false alarm smoke detector call.
That was in stark contrast to the situation for the Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services, which reported numerous emergency responses including a couple of motor vehicle collisions, a rescue at Abraham Lake, and several fires.
But the Sundre Fire Department received no calls for mutual aid, said Butts.
While his department covers a substantial amount of terrain, he said his counterparts in Clearwater County “have a huge area compared to what I report…that’d be like me reporting for all of Mountain View County.”
The May long weekend tends to be a busy time with many outdoor enthusiasts taking advantage of the time off to enjoy the opportunity to camp, and the chief seemed pleased that there were no serious incidents to report.
Over at the Sundre RCMP detachment, Sgt. Jody Achtymichuk said the officers under his command reported a quieter long weekend than last year.
Cpl. Joe Mandel said the weekend overall was a positive one.
"It was predicted that user numbers would increase with the off-highway vehicle and fire ban in the north of the province, but we actually saw a reduction in user numbers in the Sundre area of about 50 per cent compared to last year," he wrote by email.
"I believe that the weather played a significant role in the decline of users for this year. The attitude of the public that did use the west country was very positive, compliant and appreciative of the continued presence of enforcement officers patrolling the areas and interacting with the public ensuring a safe weekend."
