Larry Gabruch, fire chief for the Town of Battleford, released the annual fire report for 2011 at town council Monday.
Gabruch began his remarks by stating that 2011 was an uneventful year for the fire department - the department had only 45 responses, of which eight were false alarms. This is a slightly higher than the 11-year average of 36, with an average of around seven false alarms. The large number of responses is likely because of the large number of vehicle accidents, which at 13 hit an 11-year high. Gabruch speculated the higher number of accidents could involve the construction project on Highway 4.
All other numbers in the fire statistics are especially low - there were only four grass or brush fires, and while the number of dumpster fires hit a record four, it is still a far cry from the large number of dumpster fires that happen in North Battleford.
After speaking to their dispatcher, located in Prince Albert, the fire department also succeeded in lowering the number of times fire trucks were dispatched to false alarms. Last year saw 22 false alarms, a huge increase over previous years, so this year's numbers are closer to normal.
But most encouraging from the annual report was the low amount of fire loss. The total fire loss for 2011, only $5,000, is the second-lowest in the past 11 years, and a far cry from the nearly $95,000 average over the last 11 years. Also encouraging was the news that there had been no fire fatalities or injuries.
Because the Battleford Fire Department also provides fire protection to the RM of Battle, Gabruch also gave their year statistics. Battle River had an average year with 13 responses, lower than the last three years, but about average over the last 11. Vehicle fires accounted for five of the responses, as stolen vehicles are often burned to destroy evidence, Gabruch explained.
The especially low numbers can be attributed to a variety of factors, but Gabruch singled out one investment in particular that had helped to keep fire statistics low - education programs. Battleford Mayor Chris Odishaw noted his daughter, who is in pre-kindergarten, has visited fire the fire department three times.
"We also like to think that our active participation in fire prevention at a very young age, which we've been maintaining for decades, does have an everlasting effect as these people mature, grow up, become young adults. I think it's money well-spent, rather than spending all our resources dealing with fires after the fact."
After declaring "mission accomplished for 2011," Gabruch was careful to stress 2011's results do not guarantee anything for 2012.
"Tomorrow could be a different situation," he said.
