SUNDRE – There wasn’t an overwhelming turnout for the Sundre Fire Department’s first open house since the pandemic, but those who did attend were keen to learn a little more about their local emergency service.
“This year, people were really interested in the LUCAS (unit),” said Capt. Ryan Martens, referring to a fully automated chest-compression device obtained by the department just this past year.
“We had that out with our medical gear,” said Martens, adding medical first response calls represent the vast majority of the department’s overall call volume.
“People were really curious what it was and what it does,” he said.
Since being added to the department’s toolkit, the LUCAS device has on more than one occasion seen action.
“We have used it a couple of times. Obviously, it’s not a great situation when we do use it, but we have used it. It definitely serves a purpose,” Martens said.
“Whether or not it increases your ROSC – the return of spontaneous circulation – there’s some mixed science behind that,” he added. “But it’s definitely useful for us, being a fire service.”
The LUCAS device is designed to provide consistent timing and pressure for chest compressions while enabling responders to focus their efforts elsewhere.
“Because we’re a paid, on-call service, we don’t always have as many hands as we would like,” he said. “So, that definitely frees up hands and it allows us to be doing other things, especially before EMS arrives.”
Asked if it would be safe to say the LUCAS device has already proven itself an invaluable addition to the department’s repertoire, he said, “Absolutely, we love it.”
The open house was held on Friday, Oct. 6 at the fire hall with a few dozen people attending, he said.
“It was fairly quiet this year. I think it had a lot to do with the (Main Avenue-Highway 27) construction and Thanksgiving,” he said.
But the captain did not seem remotely dejected by the turnout; if anything, he was grateful to those who dropped by along with an interest in learning about the department.
“It’s always good to do it and get the community out and see the things that we do and use,” he said, adding that’s the intent behind the open house, along with promoting the annual Fire Prevention Week program that runs every October.
Members of the fire department show people the different kinds of equipment deployed in a diverse range of emergency responses and also let those who attend look through the fire trucks.
“They always love the gear, they always love the trucks,” he said. “They love to have the opportunity to look through our hall and see all the things we have, because I think a lot of people underestimate the capabilities of our fire department. We’re super equipped for a paid, on-call volunteer fire department. We’re very, very fortunate to have the things that we do.”
So giving residents a chance to come check out the fire hall for themselves might help shed some light, he said.
“I think people are always surprised when they get to look at the things that we have,” he said, alluding to the department’s broad service scope that of course involves typical calls such as structure fires and motor vehicle collisions, but also less frequent yet no-less-serious emergencies such as river and remote backcountry rescues.
The department overall is doing well, with recruits from the latest drive trained up and serving as probationary firefighters, he said.
And the junior cadet program, which tends to draw from a pool of potential recruits at Sundre High School, continues to be offered. Cadets involved in that program train alongside other members as though they were regular recruits, with the only exception being that they cannot officially complete the process to be certified under the National Fire Protection Association until they are legal adults, he said.
“We can do the official training,” he said. “We just can’t do the testing until they’re 18.”
