This week marks Fire Prevention Week in Estevan and throughout the country.
Fire departments will use it as an opportunity to educate the public on ways they can be more conscientious to prevent a fire. This year's theme focuses on cooking, which is a leading cause of preventable calls for fire departments across Canada.
Many fire departments, including the one in Estevan, will also be holding open house sessions, giving people the chance to learn more about the operations, take a look at the different and very cool equipment used by the firefighters, and learn more about what it takes to be part of a department.
Fire Prevention Week is also a chance to say thanks. And we have lots of reasons to be thankful for the men and women who serve on these departments.
Estevan and other departments have paid, on-call members. Most of the firefighters have lots on the go. But they're ready to drop everything and respond to a call. It might be a false alarm, a fender-bender collision or some other relatively small incident. Or it could be something that's much more significant, such as a serious collision, a roaring grass fire that requires hours of attention or a serious structure fire that puts their skills to the test.
They have seen and encountered situations that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
The firefighters might be having a busy day at work, attending a family get-together or just enjoying a quiet, relaxing afternoon, but they will put those commitments on hold to respond to a call. (We should also be thankful to the employers of the firefighters for being so accommodating with their schedules).
They're also highly skilled. It might be easy for some to dismiss them because it's not their full-time job, but they have the level of training and certification that would allow them to take a firefighting job in another community. They attend regular training nights at the fire hall to keep their skills sharp, and they attend training conventions once or twice a year to learn more.
If you call them, then you can expect they will respond admirably.
Estevan also saves a considerable amount of money by having a paid, on-call department, rather than having a handful of full-time firefighters supported by those who can respond on a moment's notice.
It's important to ensure that they have adequate and modern equipment and a suitable building. The Estevan Fire Rescue Service has been in its current home for about six years now; anyone who was on the department at that time will tell you what a difference the current building has made on everything from equipment storage to locker space to training. Other communities, such as Carlyle and Midale, have new buildings, too. Bienfait is constructing one.
The fire trucks, the other rescue vehicles, the self-contained breathing apparatus and everything else also has to be suitable so that the firefighters are well protected and able to provide a suitable response, especially in tough situations.
So this year, during Fire Prevention Week, it's important for us to reflect on the value of our fire departments. We should feel a little bit safer knowing that they are in our communities and willing and able to respond.
Take the theme for this year to heart and ensure that you're exercising common sense and paying attention when you're cooking, so that they aren't called out unnecessarily. If you have one of those new alarm systems for your home, be sure you know the code so that the department doesn't have to respond to a false alarm.
And, if given the chance, take the time to say thanks. Most of our firefighters know how much we appreciate them, not only this week but throughout the year. However, it never hurts for them to hear what we think of their service.
