UNITY — Local fire departments were busy from Oct. 6 to 12 with Fire Prevention Week, with this year’s theme all about smoke alarms. Volunteer firefighters from Macklin, Unity and Wilkie had various activities throughout the week in their respective communities.
In Macklin, the department was given the use of the public education trailer from Kindersley Fire, where more than 120 children from kindergarten to Grade 3, the daycare and preschool had the opportunity to go through. The trailer simulated a kitchen and bedroom scenario, allowing the kids to feel the heat and see smoke. Following the trailer tours, the department welcomed residents from the Villa Marie to spend time in the hall.
“For many of them, it was their first time in the hall. They had lots of great questions,” said the department.
The Macklin and District Fire and Rescue closed out the week long activities with a barbecue sponsored by the Macklin Chamber of Commerce. The education trailer was open to roughly 300 visitors during the open house and a game of Jaws of Life Jenga was a hit among the younger visitors.
Unity’s volunteer fire department held an open house on Oct. 8, selling smokies and a pop for supper to close 300 people. During the evening, a generous donation was received by Laura Gardiner which will help with purchasing some new emergency equipment. Fire Chief Colby Klein was also excited to show off the new thermal camera from Canadian Natural Resources.
“This will help us find any hot spots in situations such as grass fires in dense bush, vehicle fires and structure fires. It was a much-needed tool for us,” said Klein.
The crew also held an H2S Alive course with Sheldon Olsen with Safety Buzz Campus. The entire department was also tested for new SCBA’s.
The Wilkie and District Fire Department also had a full week of activities with the public education trailer. With visits to McLurg High School and Norman Carter Elementary School, the department was able to give students the tools they need to identify areas of concern and how to improve the safety of their own homes.
“Our goal was to teach the students of our community and surrounding area, how to safely plan and design their own safety actions to be taken in the event of an emergency.”
At their open house barbecue, the department was joined by the Wilkie Museum and Prairie Branches, who served cookies and popcorn.
