UNITY — The Unity Fire Department attended two combine fires and two baler fires in the month of September. The department also reported assisting EMS with a medical lift.
Members attended a pasture fire that was started along the CP tracks west of town. The cause of the flames was a vehicle abandoned on the tracks that was lit on fire. A train then hit the vehicle, which caused the adjacent pasture to ignite. Pastures are rugged making it difficult to get into and hard on equipment. They managed to get the fire under control but were called back numerous times over a few days dead mulch material kept flaring up with the changing winds.
Fires like this are a direct loss to the rural fire association as there is no one to charge for such an incident. In this incident, there were a lot of man-hours involved. It is such a waste of resources and money for something so senseless. Not only for us but the RCMP and CP rail as well.
The UFD welcomed three new members in the last couple of months.
Our current self-contained breathing apparatuses are now going to have to be replaced. The company is no longer in business and parts are no longer available, which will be a costly process for the UFD.
Fire prevention week is Oct. 8-14 and our open house is on Oct. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the fire hall where the theme is "Cooking safety starts with you." The UFD crew are hoping to see many residents at the open house.
