Oh, what a year
CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT BATTLED MAJOR BLAZES IN 2017
The Lethbridge Fire Department keeps a city map at its headquarters downtown.
It’s where staff put different coloured pins at addresses to mark different calls they’ve had during a calendar year.
When Rich Hildebrand, Chief of Fire and Emergency Services at the City of Lethbridge, sat down for a year-end interview with The Herald in early December — that map was already overflowing with pins. He says 2017 will go down as one of the busiest years for the Lethbridge Fire Department.
“We know for sure we had a couple of really high-risk events this year,” Hildebrand said. “When we have these types of events, it certainly tests our system. They are the types of events that will be recalled here for years and years.”
The big two events Hildebrand was speaking of were the Oct. 17 grassfire in Lethbridge and the July 11 complex fire at The Gardens at West Highlands.
During the October incident, a grassfire started in the coulees near the Lethbridge Country Club and the Mountainview Cemetery. Concurrently, there was a major power outage across most of the southside.
Then, a separate wildfire began west of the city, near the tiny Hamlet of Moon River Estates in the Municipal District of Willow Creek, as did others across the province as high winds gusted between 100-130 km/h in southern Alberta.
Hildebrand said the dry conditions, high winds and warm temperatures, were unparalleled that day.
“What was happening across the south end of the province was extraordinary,” he said.
“We had been worried about these type of circumstances for the entire fall. Fortunately, we were able to stop from it from any of the buildings that were nearby. Good control and tactics allowed us to steer that fire. That was a big deal for us.”
On July 11, more than three dozen firefighters were called to a large fire at The Gardens at West Highlands that caused an estimated $2.5 million in damage and forced 140 seniors to evacuate from their homes.
“When we get a call like that, everyone knows that it means all hands on deck and our very best game,” Hildebrand said.
The LFD still has has to keep the rest of the city covered as well, so Hildebrand is quick to thank partners — in this case the Lethbridge Police Service, the Red Cross, the LDS church, and victim services.
“At the end of the day, we were able to stop that fire from spreading extensively, which, again, was a remarkable feat given the circumstance,” he said. “Wind was working against us, pushing fire into the building. That day we were able to evacuate all those residents without a single injury, and that in and of itself is remarkable.”
No charges were laid as it was considered accidental, due to an improper disposal of a cigarette.
Even though there was a fire ban in place within Lethbridge for much of the summer and fall seasons, people didn’t always adhere to it.
Lethbridge fire investigators determined a makeshift campfire built in the coulees at Alexander Wilderness Park was the source of a 10-acre grass fire on the city's northside on Aug. 2. Seventeen firefighters from four stations responded and contained the blaze to the river valley area. No one was injured and no property was lost.
“Again, totally preventable. Use caution and common sense,” said Hildebrand.
Lethbridge fire officials say the improper disposal of a cigarette was also the cause behind a Aug. 31 fire at the Winston Villa apartment complex. All 46 residents were safely evacuated before flames tore through several units.
“That fire accelerated on the side of that building extraordinarily quickly,” Hildebrand said. “But the cause, again, came back to improper disposal of cigarettes. When will that message finally strike home with people?”
In a non improper disposal story, a leaky valve on a propane hose was been blamed for a Jan. 29 construction-site fire in the city's new leisure centre. Damage was $100,000 as two steel beams were warped by the fire. The incident was considered accidental, and there were no injuries to fire personnel.
LFD staff, though, don’t always find risk by going into a burning building.
The ongoing opioid crisis is something first responders deal with on a daily basis. Some help may be coming, however, as the supervised consumption facility is set to open in early 2018.
“This opioid crisis and the frequency of which we’re seeing these types of related overdoses, and the demographics of the people involved, and the fatalities — the whole issue has taken its toll even on my staff,” Hildebrand said. “It’s a very complex problem.”
Outside of the all issues that occurred in Lethbridge in 2017, relating to fire and emergency services, the LFD also had a presence in helping fight the Kenow Wildfire in Waterton Lakes National Park in September, specifically at the townsite.
“What occurred that night (Sept. 11) exceeded everyone’s expectations and anyone’s forecasted outcome,” said the LFD Chief. “Our staff got to be part of a much bigger team and a much larger co-ordinated effort.
“That brings a lot of experience back to us.”
Looking ahead to 2018, Hildebrand is excited to see movement on a new westside station thanks to CIP funding from the City of Lethbridge.
“City council has a lot of difficult decisions to make. We’re thankful they supported that unit as a critical piece of our planning for us to ensure that we can provide the service we think is necessary on the westside,” Hildebrand said.
“This was a major piece of our strategic plan. This next station will carry us forward for quite a number of years.”
Construction on the station is set to begin early in 2018, with a hopeful opening date in mid 2020. In that timespan, the LFD will be looking to recruit at least 25 new members, not counting attrition.