BATTLEFORD -
t was an active year for the Town of Battleford fire department in 2021.
Fire Chief Larry Gabruch presented his report to town council on the 2021 year for the department at last Monday’s regular meeting at Town Hall.
Here are some highlights of that report:
According to Fire Chief Gabruch’s report, there were a couple of items that were higher than the 10-year average. One was motor vehicle accidents, which stood at 12 — the same as last year.
Also higher than the average were false alarms, which Gabruch said were primarily due to monitored security systems, cooking incidents, and people not answering their phones when the alarm companies call them.
Fortunately there were no fire fatalities in 2021, Gabruch reported but there was one motor vehicle fatality.
Gabruch also reported several large structure fires in 2021, including at the Battleford Esso service station as well as a total loss of a residential dwelling. That pushed the estimated fire loss over $1 million for 2021.
There were 68 Town of Battleford responses in 2021 compared to the 10-year average of 58.1, with false alarms being the difference, Gabruch said.
For the department’s responses in the RM of Battle River, those represented 44 per cent of total calls in 2021. Two significant items were an increase in grass and brush fires due to a dry year in 2021, and an increase in motor vehicle accidents due mainly to inclement weather the area experienced. Gabruch noted there were three incidents in one night due to inclement weather.
Fortunately there were no vehicle fatalities in the RM of Battle River and no fire fatalities. Combined between the town and RM, there were 122 calls for service in 2021, well ahead of the 10-year average of 91.5 calls. Again, a spike in false alarms made up a lot of that difference, Gabruch reported.
One particular statistic that was a good indicator, said Gabruch, was that there was only one sharps pickup in the community in 2021.
“Our sister community could only wish that they could be as fortunate as that,” said Gabruch. He said it was indicative that “we don’t have the depth of social issues that our sister community is experiencing.”
In general council was satisfied with the report, though they were concerned about the false alarms.
“28 times, your members could have stayed home,” said Mayor Ames Leslie about the false alarms in 2021.
Mayor Leslie noted there were some things that could be changed, such as the 911 system. He said they “have the ear” of the public safety office and hoped to see the issues addressed.
Gabruch acknowledged it was also a cost for their department. “And it's province-wide,” he said.
On another note, Gabruch’s department received praise from council for helping with the apartment fire in North Battleford on Jan. 3, 2022. One positive Gabruch pointed to was the cooperation with North Battleford Fire Department and other agencies.
“It was a large fire that required all emergency services to link up to preserve life and limb,” said Gabruch.
He noted the outcome was positive, in terms of no lives being lost. “It could have been something completely different,” he said.
