SUNDRE – Local Mounties were kept fairly busy with a “steady” call volume over the Heritage Day long weekend, while the fire department’s chief hailed an otherwise “uneventful” period throughout the four days when many Albertans seek to enjoy one of their last opportunities of the season to soak up some summer while they still can.
Providing a recap of police activities spanning the period from Friday, Aug. 2 to Monday, Aug. 5, the Sundre RCMP’s interim commander Cpl. Courtney Harding told the Albertan by email in response to questions that the detachment’s members received a total of 28 calls.
“It was a steady weekend for us,” said Harding.
Among those calls for service received were “a couple rural break and enters,” the corporal said.
In one instance, a “member was out patrolling the rural area west of Sundre” when they caught two break and enter suspects “red-handed coming out of a compressor site building.”
The two suspects, both males from Red Deer, did not attempt to flee or resist, she said.
“They surrendered without incident and were arrested,” she said, adding that while multiple charges are pending, “it will take a bit longer to have charges sworn.”
In another incident, the ongoing trend of oil lease sites being targeted remains an issue.
“Copper wire thefts have become a massive problem recently in rural central Alberta,” she said.
Fairly uneventful: Fire department
Over at the Sundre Fire Department, chief Ross Clews was pleased to report a largely quiet long weekend.
“It was what I would say fairly uneventful, which is a positive thing,” Clews told the Albertan.
“We only had four calls,” he said, referring to the four-day stretch.
None were related either to motor vehicle collisions or structure and wildfires.
One was a fire alarm at a local business that turned out to be a false report, said Clews.
“It’s actually one of the places in town that we get called to lots,” he said.
“What happens is when the alarm’s triggered, the monitoring company tries to get a hold of the owner, and if they don’t get it, then they call 911 and dispatch us and we have to respond or confirm that it is a false alarm,” he elaborated.
“In this instance, I just called (the owner) and confirmed that it was a false alarm and stood down the crew,” he said, confirming when asked that it’s a recurring issue at the same location that following multiple repeat false alarms becomes frustrating.
“We typically just call before we go to that one,” he said.
Responding to a question about the potential concern of wasting the fire department’s time and resources on regularly responding to the same place over what repeatedly ends up being a false alarm and if after more than one or two such instances an owner might be billed for the trouble, Clews said the municipality has no regulations or mechanisms in place to pursue that avenue.
“We don’t have a bylaw on the books for false alarms at this time,” he said.
The fire department was also called out to a report of someone breaching the fire ban, which wasn't lifted in Mountain View County and Sundre until Tuesday, Aug. 6.
The incident “was a minor outside fire for a guy with a wood-burning camp stove that didn’t know there was a fire ban on for wood-burning products,” said Clews, adding that was right in town.
“I think he was trying to cook his supper, and didn’t realize there was a fire ban on. As soon as I talked to him, he ran over and extinguished it and apologized,” the chief said.
“The guy was very good; he put it out and no issues whatsoever.”
Clews confirmed when asked that there was no fire as a result.
“He lit (the small cooking stove) and it hadn’t even really started going when someone called it in on him,” he said.
“Someone seen it and was concerned and called 911, so we responded.”
Otherwise, he said Sundre’s fire crews responded to two medical first responses in Mountain View County.
As of the end of the long weekend, he added the department’s year-to-date call volume had already reached 263; up substantially from 2023.
“Last year at the same time, we were at 211,” he said.
And with two members of the Sundre Fire Department serving full-time summer positions with Alberta Wildfire, Clews also shared his thoughts on the tragic death of a young firefighter who perished in the line of duty battling the unfolding inferno in Jasper National Park that remains out of control.
“It hits home with us for sure,” he said. “All emergency responders have, literally, one of the most dangerous jobs out there. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
