By TERRY PUGH
A crew of three firefighters from Warman and one from Martensville were deployed on May 27 by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) to assist in battling a large forest fire near Pelican Narrows in northeastern Saskatchewan.
A separate crew of three firefighters from Martensville Fire Department (MFD), alongo with essential equipment, left Martensville on June 1 to support wildfire suppression efforts in Weyakwin.
Warman Fire Rescue (WFR) was the first municipal fire department to be asked by the SPSA to help in the fight against fires that have so far triggered the evacuation of at least 4,000 people from northern communities.
“We were asked by the SPSA to send a structural firefighting apparatus and crew into Pelican Narrows to aid in the defense of that community,” said Warman Fire Chief Russ Austin in an interview May 28. “Our truck left yesterday and crews were already working last night, putting up sprinkler lines.
“This is the same mission we were asked to do at the start of the Lac LaRonge fires ten years ago. We have experience being in that situation at ground zero at the beginning.”
Austin said three firefighters from Warman, supplemented by a firefighter from Martensville, drove up to Pelican Narrows in Engine 12, which is the WFR backup pumper truck used to fight structural fires. The journey took seven and a half hours because it involved a circuitous route.
“The Hanson Lake Road was closed due to the Shoe Fire,” said Austin. “So they had to take a longer, alternate route. When they got there, they were put to work right away patrolling for embers and setting up sprinkler lines to protect structures in the community. That work is continuing today.”
Warman Fire Rescue is committed to a 12-day minimum stint, but the crews will be swapped out every six days, said Austin. He added that assisting in the northern wildfire effort will not jeopardize local fire protection in Warman or the surrounding area.
“We still have all our front-line apparatus and 25 firefighters here, so there’s no change to our operational strength or response capacity,” he said.
In a social media post, the MFD said its coverage of Martensville will not be affected.
“Please be assured, our department continues to maintain our usual high level of service here at home,” stated the MFD post. “Staffing and resources have been carefully managed to ensure that emergency response in Martensville remains fully supported.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by the wildfires, and we stand united with the crews working tirelessly across the province.”
According to the SPSA website as of June 2, there are currently 18 active wildfires burning across the province, primarily in the northern forests.
Sixof those fires were not contained, while six were contained. Five were were being monitored regularly to assess risk in the area, while in one efforts are focused on protecting cabins and infrastructure in the area.
Eighteen evacuation orders for northern communities are currently in effect.
The SPSA website stated there have been 219 wildfires so far this year, compared to 172 for the same period last year. The five-year ave