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Aug. 25, 2008 |
A few articles from the local news Sherwood Park
News,.August 22, 2008
EMS staff working overtime
Growth, change in density of buildings and
hospital wait times factor in
Catherine Griwkowsky
News Staff
Friday August 22, 2008
Strathcona County Emergency Services has maintained
a quick response time, but employees are starting to feel the county’s
growing pains.
The amount of overtime employees work has increased.
Fire Chief Darrell Ried said there have been lessons learned from the
massive Bruderheim fire in May.
He said some of the challenges as the county grows is the number of
simulatneous calls, hopsital wait times, urban service performance, reliance
on overtime and community planning like higher density housing.
From July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008 Strathcona County Emergency Services
reached a milestone with over 5,000 emergency responses in the past 12
months.
catherine@sherwoodparknews.com
Fast Figures
• 31-per-cent increase in the number of fire responses in the second quarter
(From 234 in 2007 to 306 in 2008.)
• 12.8-per-cent increase for the number of rescue responses in the second
quarter (78 in 2007 to 88 in 2008.)
• 4.4-per-cent increase in the second quarter for ambulance responses (from
867 in 2007 to 905 in 2008)
• 7.2-per-cent annual increase in total responses) from 1,179 in Q2 for 2007
to 1,299 calls in 2008 )
• 10.2-per-cent increase in quarter two.
• 9.9-per-cent increase in the number of 911 calls answered from 2006 to
2007 (12,816 calls in Q1, 12,883 calls in Q2 2008.)
• Projected annual growth 5.8 per cent in 2008 with over 51,000 calls.
• 129 redeplyments in 2007.
• 59 redeplyments in the first half of 2008.
Emergency services stellar in
Strathcona
Concerns over provincial control
of ambulances legitimate
Jacquie Fenske
Councillor Comment
Friday August 22, 2008
Strathcona residents are proud and rightly so of their
excellent emergency services. Cross-trained, integrated fire and
ambulance services are not only the most expedient method of
dealing with emergencies but are a benefit financially to
residents.
When responding to a fire, personnel can immediately switch
from rescuing individuals from burning buildings to providing
medical services – there is no need to transfer the patient to a
second crew. The majority of our emergency response calls in
2007 were ambulance calls. Our staff are not just waiting for
fire calls but those same members are also responding to the
ambulance calls. We are not having to staff a fire department
and also a second ambulance department.
The announcement by the province to take over the ambulance
service in Alberta has some benefit – it is always great to
local residents to have the province pick up the costs; however,
municipalities with integrated services in the province, 16 in
total, must also be concerned with the availability of personnel
to man fire equipment if they are deployed on an ambulance call
in another municipality.
We are awaiting the details, but areas of concern would be
the redeployment, dispatch and escalating costs through the
length of the contract.
As a municipality, we are required to provide fire
protection for our residents even before providing local
ambulance service or ambulance service to another municipality
and we must base our decision on that priority. If the service
needs to be split, our current personnel will then have to make
a decision as to whether they would prefer to remain as
firefighters or serve as paramedics.
The transition to provincial control of ambulance services
may be a windfall for municipalities like Edmonton, but will
require Strathcona County to proceed with a great deal of
caution and concern.
Our residents deserve nothing less than the excellent
service they have had over the past many years. It is my hope
that we can continue to offer that integrated service, but
recent provincial announcements may require us to change. Let’s
hope the provincial contract will address these municipal
concerns.
Jacquie Fenske is councillor for Ward 5 and can be reached
at 780-464-8147 or fenske@strathcona.ab.ca.
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Aug. 25, 2008 |
Congratulations to the 9 new recruits that are
now active on their Platoons!
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July 2009 |
Local 2461 executive board are proud to recognize
the latest internal promotion to Deputy Chief. The position of Deputy
Chief of Operations
was awarded to Vern Elliott. We are excited
to have Deputy Chief Elliott as part of the management team.
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June 5, 2008 |
Strathcona County Announces their position on
Ground Ambulance Changes
County wants to keep fire, ambulance service
Dave S. Clark
News Staff
Friday June 06, 2008
Early indications are Strathcona County will retain its integrated fire and
ambulance services, despite an announcement last week that the new
provincial health board will be taking control over ambulance service across
Alberta.
Health Minister Ron Liepert announced last Thursday the province will spend
$217 million by April 1, 2009, to take responsibility of the service, up
from $190 million in 2007-08.
“We need to review the report in more detail, but our first indication is
our integrated service will continue,” Deputy Mayor Jason Gariepy said.
The province wants to take control of all ambulance services, but there will
also be an option for the province to contract the service out to
municipalities, which is what Strathcona would potentially do to retain its
integrated service.
Currently, Strathcona firefighters are also paramedics or EMTs, so they man
all the ambulances within the municipality. This is known as an integrated
service. Sixteen other municipalities across the province have the same
system.
Fire Chief Darrell Reid confirmed the county wants to keep the same
integrated model but on a contract basis, and said details about how it will
work are still limited.
“We’ve got a lot to learn about how the process is going to roll out,” he
said.
Gariepy said Strathcona is very protective of the service, which is why they
would like to keep it.
“The benefit is we can send one team to deal with anything. If it is
dangerous goods, an accident or a fire everybody is equipped,” he said. “The
history and reputation of our service is one of the best in Canada.”
Gariepy gave the example of what would happen if a child was found inside a
burning home. In Strathcona, firefighters could pull the child to safety
then quickly start applying their medical training to the child. However, in
a service that isn’t integrated, they would have to wait until an ambulance
arrived before the child would receive any medical attention.
Ried agreed, stating integrated service is proven to be effective and
efficient.
Gariepy said there will be other details that may change the system from the
way it is operated now.
For example, ambulances from Strathcona may have to travel to other
municipalities on a more regular basis.
When announcing the plan, Liepert said he hopes to see regional or
provincial dispatche centres. This means if an ambulance from Strathcona,
which just dropped a patient off at an Edmonton hospital, drove right near a
medical emergency within the city, it would likely not even know the
emergency is happening, so it could not respond. But with a centralized
system, the ambulance could be radioed and could attend to the patient.
Ried said the idea that the closest ambulance to an emergency would respond
to it is a great concept. But he said that makes it difficult to predict
what the department’s service area will be.
Ried also said another positive move was the provincial standardization of
EMS, and the recognition that EMS service is a type of health care will lead
to better care in the future.
According to the health minister, municipalities will save about $55 million
from the move. However, Strathcona doesn’t yet have an estimate of how much
the change could save the municipality
dclark@sherwoodparknews
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Editorial Note, Sherwood Park New
Friday June 6, 2008
Emergency strategy
looks good
Friday June 06, 2008
There was definitely some worry from County Hall and from the fire halls
when rumours started circulating that the newly-formed provincial health
authority may take control of all of the ambulance service in the province.
Strathcona County is very proud of its emergency services model, which has
dual-service firefighters and paramedics/EMTs operate both the fire trucks
and the ambulances for the municipality.
This system is touted as able to deliver an extremely high standard of
response as well as being very efficient. For obvious reasons, nobody wanted
to see the system scrapped for a new provincial ambulance service.
So in the early stages of this new plan, it looks like those worries can be
disregarded as the county has the option to become a contractor to province
and retain the integrated service model.
Obviously, it is a very detailed and complex plan, so it will take the
municipality some time to work out all the details.
But from as far as they can tell, county officials think this is the start
of something good.
Bringing in standards for EMS workers is only going to improve care for
patients.
Emergencies also know no municipal boundaries. It only makes sense to have
ambulances break the boundary barrier and respond to calls they are closest
to.
The emergency departments in the area have a long history of working
together and having co-operative relationships, so hopefully the transition
will be as “seamless” as the province hopes the new health authority will
be.
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May 29, 2008 |
Government Announces Big Changes to Ground Ambulance
Governance
May 29, 2008
Government moving ambulance services under Alberta's
health system
New model reconciles governance and funding,
integrate ground emergency services with health care providers
Edmonton... In a move
designed to improve patient care, accountability, and efficiency, government
will transfer responsibility for ground ambulance services from
municipalities to the new provincial health authority. The transition will
take full effect April 1, 2009.
“EMS practitioners are highly trained health care
professionals providing front line care and saving lives,” said Health and
Wellness Minister Ron Liepert. “They rightfully belong in the health care
system as first responders to medical emergencies.”
The decision is based on extensive study done
recently by an MLA committee, departmental review, discovery projects, and
review of those projects by an independent third party analyst.
As well, over the past ten years a series of
reports, consultations and discussions have taken place around the province
on this topic. They have all generally reached the same conclusion -
Emergency Medical Service (EMS) is health care, and therefore the governance
and funding belong in the health system.
“This is an excellent example of what I’ve spoken
of before - some of these things have been studied to death, and it’s time
to take decisive action,” Liepert said. “Ambulance service is health care
and as such should be part of the health system. This just makes sense. We
will increase funding and provide leadership to ensure the transition is as
seamless as possible.”
In preparation for the formal transfer of
operational roles and responsibilities, Alberta Health and Wellness has
prepared transition materials as a principal guide for the new provincial
health authority to move to a fully integrated ground EMS.
Alberta is striving for a comprehensive, seamless,
fully integrated health system. Repeatedly, previous research concluded and
recommended that EMS should be structured and managed as an integral
component of the health care system and that the services should be
coordinated to be better able to address the geographic and demographic
differences that exist throughout the rural and urban areas of the province.
The new provincial health authority will have the
flexibility to either provide services directly, or they may establish
agreements with third party providers, but the ultimate responsibility lies
within the health care system. Users of ambulance services will continue to
pay a portion of the cost. When the transfer of services is complete, the
province will cover 90 per cent of total costs, as opposed to 67 per cent
covered today.
Once ambulance governance has been transferred to
the health system, for consistency purposes EMS practitioners will become an
essential service.
This move represents the latest action by
government on a series of fundamental reforms outlined in a health action
plan released last month. Earlier this month government announced a new
governance model for the health system with the creation of the Alberta
Health Services Board.
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May 20, 2008 |
Big Fires, big time overtime and tired Fire Fighters
Our
member have been working many many hours of over time to deal with a large
call volume and a wild land fire. Below is the article from our
friends at the Sherwood Park News. But first a note from the editor of
the paper. It is nice to hear that the community realizes the challenges an
under manned fire department has to provide for the community. Thanks!
A busy year for
firefighters
Sherwood Park News
Tuesday May 20, 2008
As
the News found out first hand this week, it’s not easy being a firefighter.
Storming through smoke-filled burning buildings, lugging around significant
amounts of equipment, with the stress of knowing you may need to save people
or valuables that mean the world to them.
It must be a load of stress that not many other professions would be able to
compare to.
This year, it’s certainly not easy being a Strathcona County firefighter.
Last week, Fire Chief Darrell Reid spoke to Strathcona County council and he
noted how the department had already fought some of the biggest fires in
recent memory. This was long before the massive fire near Bruderheim, which
was sparked on Thursday. This will go down as one of the biggest and most
destructive fires in the past decade in this municipality.
There was also the Prairie Mushrooms fire in March, which caused millions of
dollars worth of damage and took several days to extingiush entirely.
Add to the list a number of large house fires and an increasing number of
vehicle fires, it’s been a busy year for Strathcona Emergency Services and
it’s still only May.
These firefighters need to be recognized for the work they do, not only at
saving lives, but also saving people’s property. They were able to save five
houses on Thursday alone that may have otherwise been eaten up by the
flames.
Home destroyed in huge
blaze
Fire in northern Strathcona County levels 250
hectares, a vacant house and several outbuildings
 Jo
Jordie Dwyer / Sun
Media
Dave S. Clark
News Staff
Tuesday May 20, 2008
Strathcona County firefighters
had their hands full late last week as they battled one of the largest
blazes they have fought in the last decade.
The massive brush fire started in northern Strathcona County, likely near
Range Road 212 and north of Township Road 562, and engulfed nearly three
square miles -- 250 hectares -- taking one house and several other
structures with it.
As of an early press deadline on Friday afternoon, the fire was still not
under control, but was largely contained, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ken
Jones.
Jones said one area of concern was a section of large spruce trees that
firefighters had very little access to. However, at that time there were no
active flames and no homes were in danger. Crews were continuing to battle
areas that were at risk of flaring up and spreading, due to the high winds.
A total of six homes were at risk of being destroyed but only one was not
able to be saved. The house that was destroyed was vacant and unoccupied.
The residents of the other five homes were safely evacuated with pets and
livestock. Fortunately, all of those homes were saved and avoided any
damage. Several garages and tool sheds and other outbuildings were not able
to be saved. Jones said those residents were able to return to their homes,
relieved that they will have a place to sleep.
Chuck Melin, who lives near the corner of Township 562 and Range Road 211,
managed to save his horses and firefighters saved his house as the fire
raged all around it.
“The fire had reached my place when I got home and the barn was gone. A
vehicle I had near the barn is scorched, but the firefighters were able to
save our home,” he said.
The fire burned right up to Highway 830, but didn’t cross it, so it came
only one mile from the town of Bruderheim.
Strathcona firefighters first received the call at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and
immediately sent out resources.
“We responded with all available resources that weren’t on other tasks,”
said Jones from the scene of the fire.
They also dispatched help from Fort Saskatchewan, Bruderheim and Lamont
County. In total, about 40 firefighters manned the scene.
Crews battled the fire throughout the night and expected to be on scene
dealing with spot fires over the next few days.
Crews had been rotated on and off duty several times to keep them well
rested, Jones said.
“They’ve worked extremely hard. I think the residents can’t help but being
proud of the efforts that have gone in to containing this fire from going
further than it did,” he said. “It’s very exhausting work.”
Because of the dry conditions, Strathcona County issued a fire advisory on
Friday. That means no open fires or fireworks are allowed until further
notice. To check te status of the advisory, call 464-8464 (24-hour
recording.)
The blaze came just hours after firefighters battled a separate fire in
Lakeland Village trailer park in Sherwood Park.
The mobile home involved in the blaze was destroyed, leaving a family of
five without a home.
The cause of that fire is unknown but is not suspicious.
dclark@sherwoodparknews.com
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May 15, 2009 |
Fire OPS 101
May 12 was a big day for Strathcona County Fire
Fighters Union. After close to a year of careful preparation our
members hosted a Fire OPS 101 program. All but one of our County
Elected Officials accepted the invitation. We also had three of our
four County Commisoners participate in the program. The participants
rotated through 4 scenarios. The first was a medical scenario show
casing our advanced life support EMS abilities. Three members
demonstrated our treatment abilities for a patient with pulmonary edema due
to congestive heart failure. As our members started IV's, gave
medications, set up CPAP and intubated the patient, one of our members
described the situation to our participants. The narration gave
insight into time sensitive EMS, the number of hands required to best
provide for patients and the advanced skills our members have. We are
not a typical ALS ambulance provider, we are well ahead of the many ALS
systems, this is better for our community, something we are proud of.
The second scenario was vehicle extrication, how we
deal with a motor vehicle collision. Our members demonstrated the basics but
also gave insight into how the weather, road conditions, number of patients
and how the type of vehicle create greater challenges. Participants
enjoyed the hands on use of hydraulic tools and the reality of actually
removing a patient from the vehicle on a spine board.
The third and fourth scenarios involved
participants wearing full bunker gear and SCBA. First was the smoke
house pitch black smoke and heat. Our participants found out very
quickly how it feels to be in a simulated fire situation. This
scenario created the widest eyes, a bit of sweat and the wow factor.
The last scenario was hose operations. How to operate a hose and the
need to have proper manpower and technique to simply operate a hand line.
The transportation time to and from the training
facility gave us time to present on NFPA 1710, occupational health concerns
of fire fighters, the IAFF, infectious disease, fire fighter fatalities and
the pride of our members in their chosen profession. We enjoyed many
laughs, interesting conversations and an altogether fun day. All
participants were presented with the Fire OPS 101 helmet that they wore for
the day.
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April 20, 2008 |
Strathcona County Fire Fighters Union Executive Board is excited about the
recent appointment of Darrell Reid as Fire Chief. He is the right person
for the job,
we look forward to working with him.
New fire chief appointed in county
Amy Dyck
News Staff
Friday April 18, 2008
Strathcona County’s new fire chief and manager of emergency services is none
other than its now-former deputy fire chief of operations, Darrell Reid.
The new appointment became effective April 10 after a nationwide search to
find the right candidate for the position.
“Darrell’s experience and qualifications clearly stood out,” said Mayor
Cathy Olesen. “Council looks forward to working with him in his new
capacity, and has every confidence he will further the reputation our
department has earned for excellence in emergency services.”
“It’s a very exciting opportunity to continue to work with a great team and
serve a great community,” said Reid.
Reid has the experience of working with Strathcona County Emergency Services
for the past 15 years, and therefore, is quite familiar with the department,
as well as the local community.
“He’s been involved with our community intimately for many years,” said
Olesen, noting that he will offer needed stability and continuity to the
department since two department head changes have taken place in the last
two years.
“I feel privileged to serve this outstanding municipality as fire chief,”
Reid said. “The vision of our department is to be the innovative leader in
the provision of fire, rescue and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). It is an
honour to lead our talented, dedicated team in the pursuit of this goal.”
Reid indicated that this is an opportunity to demonstrate regional
leadership and continue to build on regional relationships.
Some of the examples he listed are the integrated service delivery model
with fire, rescue and EMS; the high-end advanced life support emergency
medical services; the incident-command system, which allows mutual aid
partners (municipalities and industry) to speak the same language during an
emergency response or event; and the strong technical rescue and water
rescue teams that help the region.
“It’s just really important to me that as a fire chief, I work towards
ensuring that our staff have the resources they need to keep the community
safe and to work safely,” Reid said.
As fire chief, Reid will oversee a team of almost 200 that includes both
union and non-union staff in full- and part-time positions integrated to
meet the needs of fire, rescue and emergency medical response for over
88,000 urban and rural residents.
“I have every confidence that he will lead us well into the future, and that
he will be a very strong representative for our excellent staff,” Olesen
said.
amyd@sherwoodparknews.com
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April 19, 2008 |
Thankful after fire
Dietmar and Tracy Sedens
Sherwood Park
Friday April 18, 2008
We would like to take this opportunity to thank many wonderful people in
Sherwood Park for their support and prayers during what has been a
challenging time for our family.
Three months ago, our home in Winfield Heights on Range Road 232 burned
down. Our teenage daughter was at home asleep at the time the fire began and
she was awoken by the smoke detector.
We are grateful for the many friends and neighbours who have reached out to
us in support and caring during this time. We would especially like to thank
the dedicated fire fighters from both of the Strathcona County fire halls
who responded to our fire and were at our home for over eight hours on that
winter day.
We are blessed to have irreplaceable family photos because a firefighter saw
them on a table in the basement and took the time to carry them out of our
burning home. This was clearly above and beyond the call of duty, yet we
were told, “It’s just part of our job.”
We hope that none of the readers will ever lose their home in a fire,
however it should be a comfort to Sherwood Park residents to know that the
firefighters in Strathcona County are highly skilled and extremely
dedicated.
*Letter to the editor Sherwood
Park News April 18, 2008
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April 2, 2008 |
Strathcona Fire Fighters have been busy attending to a
string of structure fires.
Gigantic blaze destroys factory
Up to 80 jobs lost in fire at Prairie Mushrooms
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| Jim Farrell |
| The Edmonton Journal |
Sunday, March 23, 2008
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| CREDIT: Candace
Elliott, The Journal |
| A mushroom-growing
operation the size of four football fields lies in ruins Saturday
morning, after being destroyed by an overnight fire. |
|
A massive fire levelled a mushroom factory
Saturday morning, causing up to $10 million in damage and leaving as many
as 80 workers without jobs.
The blaze destroyed the Prairie Mushrooms Ltd.
plant on Range Road 232 north of the Yellowhead Highway.
The plant was the size of four football fields.
"It was our biggest fire in at least 15 years,"
said Norm Sutton, a platoon captain with the Strathcona County fire
department.
Every fire unit and ambulance available to
Strathcona County was called to the scene. Crews from Edmonton and Fort
Saskatchewan helped with the effort.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services sent two aerial
trucks, two rescue trucks, a pump and a deputy chief to assist in the fire
attack.
At its height, as flames licked 25 metres into
the air, 65 firefighters were involved in the battle, Sutton said.
No one was injured in the blaze.
The plant produced more than 45,000 kilograms of
mushrooms a week. But its loss isn't expected to create a mushroom
shortage, an owner of the business said.
The fire is believed to have started around
midnight in an attic. It was spotted by a night watchman and a passing
motorist, said Don Kostelyk, one of two brothers who purchased the
business several years ago from their father.
"Our night watchman phoned me to say he thought
it was steam," Kostelyk said. "We have a lot of steam in there to wet down
the mushrooms. He phoned back a few minutes later to say it was smoke, so
I called 911."
A motorist reported the fire about the same time.
When Strathcona County firefighters arrived, flames were spreading though
the roof of the structure.
They could do little to quench the blaze, Sutton
said. The plant was a wood-frame structure. Its plywood walls were covered
with tin facing.
"Tin holds in the heat," Sutton explained.
The plant was one of two operated by Prairie
Mushrooms. The other -- the original facility -- is only a third the size,
Kostelyk said.
Until the fire, the business employed a total of
115 people, he said.
"Probably in our older building, just up the
road, we will be able to keep 30 or 35."
The plant distributed mushrooms to Edmonton,
Calgary and throughout Alberta and as far afield as Vancouver, Kostelyk
said.
Its main competitors were Essex-Kent in Airdrie
and Champs Mushrooms and All Season Mushrooms in British Columbia's Fraser
Valley.
Those other facilities are more than capable of
making up for the loss of the Sherwood Park plant, Kostelyk said.
"There is such a huge oversupply in the Vancouver
area that I will be sourcing in Vancouver so I can continue to service my
customers."
Firefighters estimate damage from the fire at $7
million to $10 million, Kostelyk said. The loss is covered by insurance.
He said he hopes to rebuild and be growing
mushrooms again in 12 to 18 months. "We are obviously hoping for 12
months," he added.
As part of the mutual aid agreements between
regional emergency services departments, Edmonton's newly appointed
Emergency Medical Services Chief Joe Acker co-ordinated EMS support during
the night from the Strathcona fire hall.
To relieve pressure on Strathcona County's
ambulance service, Edmonton EMS had ambulances stationed in Sherwood Park.
They responded to six medical calls in the region during the night.
The interior of the structure was an agricultural
operation of factory proportions. Mushrooms were grown from spores in
large trays of composted chicken manure topped with peat moss.
"They were five beds high, 10 beds to a room in
60 rooms," said Darren Poppen, a plant worker who was at the scene
Saturday.
Prairie Mushrooms traces its origins back to
1963. In 1967 Kostelyk's father became an employee. He later he bought the
company. A few years ago he sold the company to sons Don and John. John is
on holiday in Hawaii.
jfarrell@thejournal.canwest.com
© The Edmonton Journal 2008
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Feb. 18, 2008 |
Worlds Longest Hockey
Game Fundraiser for Cancer Research
Local Sherwood Park group has broken the record for the longest hockey
game today. Local 2461 members are proud to have
contributed out of their own pockets $1900.00
toward the cause. The volunteers played through -40oC weather and 10
days
to
raise over $300 000.00.
http://www.worldslongestgame.com/
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Jan. 8, 2008 |
Strathcona County Fire Fighters are excited to enter
the new year with a positive sign of support. The 2008 County budget has allowed for the hiring of more
member into our suppression branch. The union is confident that our
current management
team is moving in the right direction, attempting
to create a more safe environment for our members. More fire fighters
available to
respond to emergencies makes it more safe for our
members, and the community we proudly serve.
Sherwood Park New article:
Six more to fight
fire fire, save lives
Emergency services to recruit six
firefighter-paramedics
Dave S. Clark
News Staff
Friday December 07, 2007
Strathcona Emergency Services will be receiving six new
firefighter-paramedics to start in July, if council approves the recommended
2008 budget.
Deputy Chief Iain Bushell said the department originally asked the county
for 12 additional firefighters, however, only six were recommended because
of a budget that already required a double-digit tax increase.
The department continues to see on overall increase in the demand for
service and expects that demand to rise in the coming year. It is projecting
to have an 8.4 per cent increase in ambulance calls, which would bring the
total up to just over 4,000 per year. Fire calls are expected to go up 8.5
per cent to 850 per year. Rescue calls are expected to rise 6.1 per cent to
430 calls per year and hazardous materials calls are expected to go up 5.6
per cent to 135 per year.The department will also be hiring part-time firefighters for the rural
stations, however, there is no set number on how many will be hired.
Emergency Services is also looking for council to spend $630,000 on new
breathing apparatus that also have devices in them, that can track the
location of firefighters.
“It will greatly enhance firefighter safety and accountability at emergency
scenes,” Bushell said. “The tracking system allows a rescue team to rapidly
locate a disabled or trapped firefighter.”
The system also allows for two-way communication without the use of a radio.
It can be used to get firefighters to evacuate an unsafe area or to send out
a distress signal without radios.
The department also asked for new monitors and defibrillators, which Bushell
said are used on almost every medical call. The new units would allow the
department to meet the latest standards in cardiac care. They come at a
price tag of $50,000. The current units are almost 10 years old and there
have been significant advancements since then, Bushell said. One of those
advancements is a built-in wireless and faxing capability so that the
ambulance can communicate directly with hospitals.
Emergency Services is also looking for $138,000 for a replacement program to
replace aging or damaged rescue tools, stretchers, hoses and other
equipment.
As for vehicles, the department is set to receive a new ambulance at a cost
of $290,000 and a minivan at a cost of $31,500.
dclark@sherwoodparknews.com
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Oct. 25, 2007 |
The 19th Biannual IAFF Redmond Symposium in Chicago
was attended by 3 members of the Executive Board. This professional
fire fighter symposiums focus
is on occupational health and safety. This
symposium was an amazing compilation of many fire service professionals
sharing their personal experiences to better
the professional lives of all IAFF members.
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Sept. 26, 2007 |
Union President Macdonald and Brother Capcara
attend the annual Colorado Springs IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial.
Brother Capcara pointing out a fallen
2461 member, Bob Martell |
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August 21, 2007 |
Recruit Convocation Ceremony
Thank you to SCES management
for returning to the tradition of formalizing the completion of recruit
training.
Piper Brother Patterson leads
the new members into the reception. Rescue 1 and Squad 5 outside the
reception.
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August 12, 2007 |
Our recruits are about
to start their last week of training, graduation and platoon assignments
will be on Friday the 17th. Here are a few pictures taken while
training on ventilation, slope rescue and tower runs.
Above:
Class of 2007 along with Senior Fire Fighters and Officers. The
training for the recruits allowed for fire ground command and accountability training for our Officers.
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August 10, 2007 |
We are proud to show off our newest apparatus
being prepared to be put in service at station 5. Squad 5 will replace
engine 5.1 and Rescue 5.1. The CAF equipped pump is also fully loaded with
rescue capabilities.
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August 2, 2007 |
Our Platoon Chiefs have a new command vehicle now
in service.
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July 30, 2007 |
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Core stability fitness
training with our trainer. Great new fitness and injury prevention
program. Pictured here are a mix of our new recruits and current
members.
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July 23, 2007 |
Welcome to our 9 new members of local 2461!
These members will be replacing vacant positions and adding 5 new positions
to the EMS / Suppression branch. Recruit training has been underway
for the past 3 weeks. |
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May 25, 2007 |
Successful Muscular Dystrophy Fundraising Car
Wash!
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April 30, 2007 |
Local 2461
Executive Board President and Secretary attend the15th Canadian Legislative
Convention in Ottawa |
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April 5, 2007 |
Gear Donation to
Nicaragua Fire Fighters - Link to full story |
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March 26, 2007 |
Excited to put into service our latest apparatus
replacement. Rescue 1 has been replaced as of today.
Here is a picture of the new Rescue 1,
2005 Spartan with Rosenbauer body.
40 KW generator, Holmatro tools, 400 hp Cummins
ISL400 diesel engine, Allison auto transmission
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February 26, 2007 |
Strategic Plan -
Fire Chief Osbaldeston proudly announced managements
recently approved 5 year strategic plan. Focal point of the plan is
the hiring of 51 suppression staff between 2008- 2012. The plan would
increase manning in the current stations and add a fourth station.
Minimum manning once the new station is fully staffed (2011) would be 28
full time Fire Fighters in the county. Local 2461 is excited to have a well
planned direction for the departments members to look forward to.
This announcement has been long awaited by our membership.
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February 22, 2007 |
Sherwood Park News Prints Accounts of local 24 61
members attending Winnipeg Memorial
 
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February 14, 2007 |
Strathcona Brothers attend Winnipeg memorial. 16
local 2461 members and Deputy Chief Reid make the trip to Winnipeg.
Thank you to Connolly - McKinley for the the use
of their bus. IAFF
article on the service
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February 2, 2007 |
Morning Radio personality Sean Burke spent the morning with Platoon 1,
station 1 members learning about Fire Fighting. The links below
contain video footage, part 1 and part 2 of the mornings events.
Big thanks to Brother Suchy for all the help!
PART 1
http://www.cisnfm.com/station/waking_crew.cfm?REM=63725
PART 2
http://www.cisnfm.com/station/waking_crew.cfm?REM=63914 |
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December 15, 2006 |
Strathcona County Councilor asks for increase in Fire
Fighters.
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November 27, 2006 |
Fire Fighter Berger organizes donation of Fire gear to Nicaraguan Fire
Fighters. Approx. 1000 lbs of gear prepared to be sent.
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November 18, 2006 |
Strathcona County Emergency Services 50th Anniversary Ball
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November 1, 2006 |
Muscular Dystrophy
Fundraiser - Firefighters and RCMP to run for good cause
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October 4, 2006 |
Local 2461 Annual General Meeting Minutes posted
in members section
Union Executive
Officers : President Craig Macdonald ,Vice President Robert
Knull, Secretary Andrew Spence, Treasurer Bob Klassen
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| August 23, 2006 |
Strathcona County provides 5% wage adjustment to all County employees!
Creating a more competitive corporation
|
| July 30, 2006 |
Welcome to our newest brothers! Five new members have finished their
orientation and have joined their platoons.
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| April 2006 |
Many changes across the department. Chief Laird
Burton has retired from Strathcona County. Deputy Chief Dwight
Osbaldeston has moved into the position of Chief. Brother Iain Bushell
has accepted the position of Deputy Chief of Logistics and Human Resources.
Last but not least, the position of Division Chief of Training and OH&S has
been filled after being vacant for too long. Captain Bruce Matheson
has accepted the position. In June we look forward to 5 new Fire
Fighters joining our local after a successful hiring process.
Our union local looks forward to many positive
changes in the near future with these capable individuals filling these
positions.
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| November 28, 2005 |
Condo Fire a great save by
local 246
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August 22, 2005
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New members finished orientation and have joined
their platoons.
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August 8, 2005 |
Rookie training starts today. Welcome to our new brothers!
 |
| May 2005
|
County Council
approves the hiring of 12 Fire Fighters. Training of new members to
begin August 2005 |
| April 2005
|
Local 2461
Executive presents proposed 2005 - 2007 contract, ratification completed |
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March 29, 2005
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Our local provided
manpower to cover shifts for a grief stricken Yellow Knife local.
After
the loss of two of their members in the line of duty, Alberta locals did
everything possible to assist. St.Albert, Spruce Grove and
Strathcona IAFF locals provided 3 days of station coverage while
Yellow Knife lay their Brothers to rest.
http://www.iaff.org/across/news/Archive2005/032905yell.html
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| December 2004
|
Fire Fighters making the
news due to manning concerns - Sherwood Park News Article |
| |
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December 2, 2004
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Local 2461 mourns the loss of Fire
Fighter / EMT Mike Adamson. Mike battled cancer with a huge
inner strength and lost his battle at the age of 27.
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September 2004 Local 2461 Welcomes new
recruits, Fire Fighters Knull and Daciuk to Strathcona Fire Fighters.
May 19, 2004
Platoon training initiated for addition of Tower 1
to Fire Rescue responses
April 10, 2004
Strathcona County
receives it newest apparatus to add to the fleet
September 28, 2003
Captain Witiuk Retirement Party
| September 22,
2003 |
Strathcona
Firefighters Honour Guard web site launched! Check it out. |
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| September 21, 2003
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Strathcona Firefighters Fun Run For Muscular Dystrophy |
September 7, 2003
Strathcona County Emergency Services Staff Family Appreciation BBQ
Archived Past Events
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