SUNDRE – Local emergency services were not kept running off of their feet over the Labour Day long weekend.
Members of the Sundre RCMP detachment received roughly 15 calls for service while the Sundre Fire Department had six calls for service from Friday, Aug. 30 to Monday, Sept. 2.
Among the variety of files logged by Mounties were some no-injury motor vehicle collisions including a fender bender and a single vehicle rollover when a driver lost control along a rural road after some loose lug nuts fell off, said Const. Kyla Currie, adding that neither drugs or alcohol were considered to be factors in any of the collisions.
There were also some animal calls as well as a report of trespassing, Currie told the Albertan.
The constable added that members responded to a report of an assault that occurred at the Sundre Motor Inn on the night of Monday, Sept. 2 in an incident that ultimately led to three charges being laid: assault causing bodily harm, assault, and mischief.
“The male that was arrested was held on hearing and released on conditions yesterday,” Currie wrote by email on Sept. 4.
“The accused was from B.C. (and there were) no issues arresting him,” she said afterwards in response to follow-up questions.
“He was taken into custody without incident and wasn’t known to anyone at the Sundre Motor Inn,” said said, characterizing the incident as “a very random encounter.”
Asked if any members from other jurisdictions or departments were brought in to provide assistance to help keep an eye out during the long weekend that tends to get busy with many people heading out to spend some time in the west country for the last opportunity of the summer season to enjoy the outdoors before school starts, she said, “We didn’t have any additional resources on this weekend, but there were patrols made out west.”
Having herself spent some time patrolling on the night of Sunday, Sept. 1, the constable reported that she had found that “everything was pretty calm out west.”
“It was a good long weekend before school went back in and people went back to their daily routines,” she said.
“We didn’t have many issues with the public and everyone that we dealt with over the long weekend overall were respectful towards us.”
Providing the Albertan with a recap of the Sundre Fire Department’s activities, Chief Ross Clews reported that his members received a total of six calls.
“If you include today, we’ve had seven runs,” said Clews on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
That call volume broke down to three medical assists, two alarms that turned out to be false alarms with firefighters subsequently stood down, as well as two outside fires on Sept. 2 that he described as “pretty insignificant.”
One of the reported fires was in Clearwater County, where Alberta Forestry had already gotten the situation under control resulting in the crew from Sundre being stood down and sent back to hall, he said.
The other unfolded in Mountain View County at an industrial site but was also quickly contained, he said.
“The fire started because a bird landed on a power line,” he said, adding the scene was turned over to Fortis Alberta and the oil company whose property was involved.
“All in all, it was another good long weekend for us,” said Clews.
Although camping typically continues until there’s snow on the ground with hunting season still drawing some people out, the chief added that Labour Day “is one of the busier weekends of the year.”
