By KEVIN BERGER
A 20% per cent increase in calls over the past two years, particularly in medical responses, is putting a heightened strain on the Martensville Fire Department’s paid on-call members, Fire Chief Dean Brooman reported to council at their November 18 meeting.
In an operational report dated November 12, Brooman indicated they had received 415 calls to date, which was an increase of 71 from the same time in 2024. Notably, the 2024 total (344) had also increased from the same time in 2023 by a total of 59 calls.
“The call volume keeps going up and up and we’re rolling trucks more often,” he said.
Looking at some additional statistics attached to the report, medical calls within the City of Martensville account for approximately 51.3% of all the incidents the department responds to.
Fire calls within the city account for 21.3%, while fire calls within Corman Park/mutual aid calls account for 7.39%.
Motor vehicle collisions or rescues within Corman Park represent 2.83% of their call volume, while motor vehicle collisions or rescues in Martensville account for 0.87%.
Incidentally, Brooman noted that since he completed that report, they’d responded to 10 more calls, including two motor vehicle accidents on Lutheran Road and Highway 12.
“It continues to be a problem area,” he said.
Brooman acknowledged that the volume of medical responses continue to be an issue, noting that the Martensville Fire Deparment is essentially acting as a “safety” for local emergency medical services.
“We’re the ones called in first when the ambulances are not available,” he said.
He suggested that they will have to dive into that issue in the future and figure out a plan for responding to calls that better serves the needs of Martensville residents.
CAPITAL UPGRADES
Brooman’s report also touched on recent capital upgrades made by the fire department, including a modernization of the front of the fire hall (which generated a lot of compliments during a recent open house), a replacement of the apparatus door/man door and kitchen renovations.
Brooman said they have also purchased a new Command 10 vehicle — a used 2022 Dodge Ram with 35,000 kilometres on it.
He said they use that truck as a traffic blocker when responding to accidents on the highway, adding that it’s the first people encounter when they’re driving by.
In addition to helping to direct traffic, the truck helps shield their expensive fire trucks from harm. “Frankly, if somebody’s going to hit something, it’s better that they hit the Dodge rather than hitting one of our big fire trucks that’s worth a million dollars,” Brooman noted.
He said the truck also functioned as a command vehicle for a recent four-plex fire back in October.
FIRE INSURANCE
Brooman said they submit a yearly operational, equipment and response capability report to Fire Underwriters Insurance (FUI), which in turn influences the city’s fire insurance rating.
This year, he said he got curious about what actually determines that rating and how it could potentially be improved, which led to a comprehensive audit being conducted in 2025.
Martensville’s commercial rating is Level 5, which they aim to improve to Level 4 through enhanced fire inspections and pre-planning.
Their Residential Rating is Level 3A, which can potentially be improved through the development of a Home Fire Safety Program in 2026.
FUI also recommended expanding fire prevention outreach to include more service groups, seniors, schools and local businesses. Brooman said they have been doing that in the past, but with the appointment of deputy chiefs Jason Marshall this fall and James Taylor in 2024, “we’re able to be a little more.”
FUI has also recommended the acquisition of an aerial truck, which Brooman admitted is a need given the higher structures that are going up in Martensville.
“We’ve kind of hit that tipping point where an aerial would be recommended,” he said, noting they currently don’t have the capability to do a rescue on the fourth or fifth floor of a building.
Fortunately, their mutual aid agreement with Warman means they can call on their aerial truck, but an aerial apparatus would also allow them to extend the life of some of their engines.
TRAINING
Brooman concluded his report by updating council on training initiatives undertaken by members this year.
He indicated that six new recruits had completed certification in October 2025 and two additional members had achieved NFPA 1403 Live Fire Certification, bringing the total number of certified members to six.
Three members had also attended heavy rescue courses in October, bringing the total number of members with this training to eight.
In 2026, Brooman indicated the department will be piloting a new weekend training model with duty squads having assigned training sessions during their shifts to enhance participation and provide a smaller, hands-on learning experience.