The Whitecourt Fire Department had a busy 2021
That according to Whitecourt Fire Department Deputy Chiefs Aaron Floyd and Taya Green who attended the most recent council meeting to present the department’s annual report.
The fire department put in a total of 9,396 hours on the job in 2021, with 3,372 of those hours responding to calls, and 4,990 in training.
According to the report, the largest amount of calls the fire department responded to was motor vehicle collisions. There were 69 in 2021, a 20 per cent increase over the prior year.
Medical assist calls were also on the rise. The fire department responded to 52 in 2021, an 11 per cent increase. Medical assist calls are when the fire departments are called in to help out paramedics.
Councillor Paul Chauvet was the first to notice that false alarms made up the bulk of calls in 2021. The fire department responded to 127 false alarms, making up 38 per cent of their calls.
Deputy Chief Floyd mentioned this largely had to do with more people installing home security systems. More security systems means more accidental calls, added Floyd.
Town administration then chimed in, saying there are bylaws for dealing with too many false alarms, and they are in need of updating.
Mayor Tom Pickard agreed with the plan.
“People are getting fire alarms, which is great. They are getting smoke alarms, which is great,” said Pickard. “But the false alarms, our fire guys and administration are working to reduce.”
All things considered, Pickard is quite impressed with the work of the fire department.
“It is all attributed to the passion of each and every member, and that comes out whenever you have any dealings with the fire department,” said Pickard.
