At 6:31 in the evening on May 26 eleven members were sent to an outside fire in Gull Lake Village.The fire had started innocently in the backyard fire pit but a spark ignited nearby poplar fluff andtravelled through trees and undergrowth to the yard next door. Firefighters doused the area andthe neighbouring home sustained minor damage to the exterior siding.
Late in the evening on May 29crews were sent to a residence in town where an infant was reportedlyhaving difficulty breathing. The baby was cared for until EMS arrived and released the BFD from scene.
On May 30 at 8:47 p.m. members responded to an alarms call in Bentley. This turned out to be acooking incident and was deemed a non-emergency so the fire crews returned to the hall.
On June 7 eight members were sent to another alarms call in Bentley. This one involved burning toastwhich triggered the home's smoke detector. No injuries, no damage and fortunately, no emergency.
At 5:45 on the evening of June 9 a call was received of a watercraft in distress on Gull Lake, just eastof the end of the ice fishing road near Brownlow's Landing. Five people in two small fishing boats hadtried to make it to shore in the windy weather. Unfortunately, the batteries in both vessels died, leaving them to drift into shore where firefighters found them and towed one boat the remaining twenty feet in.Crews and a helpful pair of nearby residents got them back to the campground so they could retrievetheir tow vehicle. Thank you to those who assisted!
On June 18 at 2:32 p.m. a passerby called in a small grassfire in the ditch on Highway #20, just South of Twp. Rd. 41-2. Bystanders had most of the fire out so firefighters thoroughly soaked the area toprevent any re-kindles.
And at 6:14 a.m. on June 19 members responded to a call at a Bentley home where a resident withbreathing problems had fallen and was unable to get up. BFD members cared for the patient untilparamedics arrived and crews carefully helped load him for the trip to the hospital.
On June 19 and 20 we enjoyed hosting the Bentley Elementary School's two Kindergarten classesfor the annual fire hall tours. The students were full of interesting questions and keen excitement.Boys and girls, we hope you have learned some helpful things you can share with your families!
On April 23 at 5:52 p.m. the BFD was called to a medical assist at a shop in Bentley. A tenant in the living quarters above was complaining of inhaling possible diesel fumes. The patient was in EMS' care so the apartment was investigated for elevated levels of noxious gases. No unsafe readings were reported on the monitors so firefighters cleared the scene.
Shortly after 5 p.m. on April 27 eleven members were sent as Mutual Aid to Lacombe FD for a vehicle fire in their area. Crews were stood down en-route as Lacombe had the situation handled.
At 11:16 a.m. on April 28 a call came in of an outside fire north of Bentley near Rimbey. A very large grassy area near the house had caught fire and travelled toward the river, igniting a straw pile in its path. Fortunately, winds were low and moving away from the buildings. Eckville FD was called in as Mutual Aid and we thank them for their quick assistance. The homeowners had some of the fire contained and crews managed to bring the rest under control. Once it had burned down to a smouldering pile the scene was turned over to the homeowner, who was given further instructions.
At 2:30 in the morning of April 29 sixteen members raced to the scene of a structure fire in Bentley. Lacombe was called in as Mutual Aid, then stood down once crews learned what the issue was. A passerby on the street noticed the front left side of the attached garage was ablaze and alerted the sleeping family who evacuated immediately. The homeowner put out the fire with a garden hose and when firefighters arrived they used the thermal imaging camera to find hot spots which were then extinguished. Crews assisted the owner with disabling power to the garage until an electrician could be contacted and the home fully inspected.
On May 1 at 10:29 a.m. eight members were sent to an accident on Highway #20 north of Rainy Creek Road. A witness following the accident vehicle had watched it swerving onto the gravelled shoulder before hitting the ditch and colliding with a long stretch of guardrail on the east side. The patient appeared in and out of consciousness and was cared for until EMS arrival. Traffic control was meanwhile set up for safety and to assist RCMP who were conducting their investigation.
At 8:45 in the morning on May 3 another MVA occurred on Highway #20, north of RR 41-0. A truck towing a fully-loaded dump trailer was travelling southbound and had left the road, ending up in the west ditch. The trailer detached from the truck and rolled, ending up upside-down. The truck was quickly stabilized, and the driver was carefully extricated and turned over to the care of EMS. The highway traffic was managed safely while other crews cleaned up the roadway before being released from the scene.
On May 9 yet another single-vehicle accident was reported, this time on Rainy Creek Road east of RR 2-0. A westbound vehicle had left the road and ended up on its driver's side in the east ditch. The driver had self-extricated and was in EMS' care so crews set up traffic control until they were released by the RCMP.
At 10:16 a.m. on May 15 an alarms call from a rural residence was received. Crews were stood down by the homeowner, through the alarm company. Confirmed false alarm.
And in the early morning hours of May 17 fifteen members raced to a structure fire in Lacombe's area. Two buildings were fully involved so Bentley and Lacombe set up ponds at the rural location and spent several hours shuttling water with their Tenders and fighting the blaze. The two residents had made it out, along with several dogs. They were sent to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Several dogs were discovered outside and were scooped up and taken to the family's relatives to be cared for. Four horses in a pen nearby were kept safe from the smoke while other firefighters salvaged what could be saved. Bentley crews were eventually released from the scene and made their way back to the hall, where more cleanup work awaited. Trucks, equipment and clothing all needed serious attention before they could be put back into service.
At 4:49 in the morning on March 24 a call came in reporting a vehicle fire on Hwy #12A and Range Road 1-1, just east of the fire hall. Firefighters responded to the location to find a fully involved pickup truck. No driver or passengers were on the scene and the fire was extinguished using a combination of water and foam. The traffic was managed safely while additional crews searched the area for any signs of people involved before turning the scene over to RCMP.
At 4:49 in the morning on March 24 a call came in reporting a vehicle fire on Hwy #12A and Range Road 1-1, just east of the fire hall. Firefighters responded to the location to find a fully involved pickup truck. No driver or passengers were on the scene and the fire was extinguished using a combination of water and foam. The traffic was managed safely while additional crews searched the area for any signs of people involved before turning the scene over to RCMP.
And in the early morning hours of April 15, nearly the entire department responded to an accident on Highway #771, near the intersection of Highway #20. A resident nearby had heard the commotion and called 911. Upon arrival a horse trailer was discovered, flipped onto its roof with two horses still inside. There was no sign of any tow vehicle and the TIC camera was used to determine if anyone was in the vicinity in the dark conditions. Traffic control was set up to ensure the safety of people and animals, and RCMP and a veterinarian with a trailer were contacted to assist. A safe temporary home was found for the horses, and as they both appeared calm with no major injuries the decision was made to try to extricate them. Sand was spread beneath them on the trailer's ceiling to ensure traction and they were carefully led out. Both could walk without difficulty and were led to their new pen to be examined by the vet. Thank you to the landowner for their temporary safe haven! RCMP continued with their investigation and released the BFD from the scene.
- At 9:15 a.m. on February 22 nine members were called to Highway #20,just north of Highway #12 where a pickup truck had crossed the southbound lane, left the road and ended up in the west ditch, narrowly avoiding a power pole. The driver had self-extricated so BFD crews carefully controlled the morning traffic while the patient was examined by EMS.
On March 3 at 7:16 P.M.twelve crews were sent to a vehicle fire on Rainy Creek Road. Some time was spent locating the vehicle, which turned out to be a snowmobile, as the fire had extinguished itself and the blackened frame was all that remained, half-buried in the ditch in the darkness. No driver was located in the area so the scene was turned over to the RCMP and the BFD was released.
Shortly before 9 a.m. on March 5 several members were sent to the inter- section of Highway #12 and RR 2-2 west of Bentley where a southbound minivan and an eastbound semi with trailers had collided. Both drivers were safely out of their respective vehicles and miraculously the injuries were somewhat minor. EMS assessed both patients, neither of them required hospitalization. BFD managed the highway traffic then left the scene in the hands of the RCMP who were busily conducting their investigation.
And on March 7 shortly after 8:30 a.m. a call was received of alarms ringing at the Bentley Care Centre. This was an accidental activation as the existing system had been replaced and was being tested. The alarm had been re-set and fire crews were informed and stood down.
Your department has been working hard over this winter, with courses specializing in ice rescue as well as regular training every Monday night. Practice nights have included rescues in winter conditions using the Stokes basket, a type of "toboggan" which helps rescuers safely transport a patient up steep slopes in deep-snow conditions. This hands-on training can be hard work but is also a whole lot of fun!
