AnnA Junker Firefighters must do their work differently in cold weather: chief
The extreme cold weather wrapping its icy grip around Edmonton means fire crews have to change how they attend calls because the freezing weather can create more hazards than just flames.
Firefighters are just one group of many that have to be aware of the elements during winter and especially during a cold snap.
District Chief Randy Shakura said Wednesday cold weather can create issues for fire crews, including equipment freezing over, crews getting wet and cold, and hazards caused by ice.
“At fires, we’ll cycle through or rotate through more frequently than we do in normal weather so they’re not exposed to the elements for as long. The gear does keep them warm to a degree but they do get cold over time,” said Shakura.
“Once they’ve gone through two tanks of air, we’ll try to get them cycled out.”
One of the big problems during the winter is the decontamination process. As crews are exposed to fire and smoke, which are carcinogenic, it’s important to decontaminate as soon as possible after a fire.
Unlike in the summertime, crews cannot get heavy debris off of them by being sprayed down with a hose. Instead, they have to clean themselves with a dry brush.
“We’ve developed a system where we set up basically a large tent with heat in it where they can get out of their gear, get cleaned up and get back to the station for more of a deep clean and this way they’re out of the elements,” said Shakura.
Crew members will also wear long underwear and layer up to stay warm, but they need to make sure their gear is sufficient in protecting against fire. That means no polyester gloves that could melt.
The water crews use to battle fires can also create its own hazard. It can freeze on the ground where crews could slip and fall.
“There’s also ice that can form up above on the rooftops that falls off in chunks and can pose a hazard.
“Especially at the bigger fires where the water tends to accumulate and doesn’t run off as quickly, quite often we get large sections of ice that freezes up the equipment and really does make it difficult for us.”
Shakura said since Jan. 31, crews have gone to 32 calls related to burst pipes, another common cold weather-related event.
He expects those calls to increase as the weather warms up and the pipes that have failed start to warm up and the water starts running again.
“It’s all about managing the conditions. We do what we can to minimize the risk to our (crews) that are out on the street and making sure the public is the best served.”