I shivered, whether from strung nerves or from the chilly wind I wasn’t sure; I tucked my hands together and waited.
Dimly, I heard a voice explaining something, but I couldn’t really pay attention—shattered glass hung in front of my face and coated the seats and doors around me. Twisted metal and shredded plastic, the remains of a Nissan car, surrounded me on all sides— now I knew the shivers were not from the cold.
“Hello ma’am,” a calm, cheerful voice came from my left. “I’m Ron Cales, and I’ll stick with you the whole time while they are getting you out; you’re gonna be okay.”
This was an open house event hosted by the Kindersley Fire Department and the wrap up of fire prevention week. During this event, several volunteers demonstrated their vehicle extrication technique. The subject: a wrecked Nissan car. The volunteer: me.
Fire Prevention Week in Kindersley runs from October 8-14, and, as quoted from a media release from the Town of Kindersley, the week “recognises the Council’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all those within Kindersley as well as the dedication in its fire and emergency response within Kindersley and the surrounding region.”
The theme of 2017’s fire prevention week was “Every second counts: plan two ways out!” Firefighter Captain Mitch Hope, Public Educator on behalf of the Kindersley Fire Department, emphatically stated that planning is essential for safely escaping from a fire. “If you plan an escape, you have an escape.” Captain Hope went on to say that families should regularly practice fire drills, have clear plans for their kids, locate near neighbors for a safe place, and have secondary phones located out of the home.
While I sat in the car, covered in a blue tarp and accompanied by a firefighter for safety, I was able to experience first-hand the commitment our local fire department has for the safety and wellbeing of others. 150 – 175 times per year, this crew is dispatched for multi and single vehicle collisions (MVC, SVC), EMS assists, security alarm calls and all manners of fires. How do they handle such diverse calls?
“We build trust amongst our group,” stated Captain Hope. “We each bring individual knowledge and expertise into a situation, but when the chips are down; we rely on other to get through every bind.” Captain Hope noted that even though Kindersley’s fire department is made up of volunteers, they hold the same certification as full time firemen in larger cities. In addition to this fire training, many bring knowledge and skills from their everyday jobs, as carpenters, electricians, rig and town workers, just to name a few, each bring valuable information into the field.
To help the public understand more about a firefighter’s job and gear, fire equipment was out on display, and two hoses were out for the public to try their hand in pulling and handling a hose charged with water. Scott Holloway, Elyssia Holloway and Hunter Mrack won gift certificates, donated by JEM Creative Solutions, for excellence in handling the hoses in the adult, adolescent and child divisions.
In addition to the vehicle extrication, a demonstration by firefighter Jeremy Otto showed the pull, aim, squeeze and sweep method for effectively putting out a fire with a fire extinguisher as well as other fire extinguisher tips. The Friday FX youth group set up a BBQ stand for the gathering crowd, donating the proceeds directly back to the Kindersley Fire department.
Feature Image Source: Kindersley Fire Engine on display for public education – Mallorie Rast/Kindersley Social
For the latest information and for more updates on everything Kindersley, ‘Like’ our Facebook page below…
