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Modern firefighting takes different approach than years past

People could have under two minutes to get out of modern structures
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Something new for Stettler Regional Fire Department is the training tower. While final tweaks are still being done, the tower entered service earlier in 2022 and allows for a greater scope of training than previously available by the department. (Kevin J Sabo/ Stettler Independent)

According to long-time Stettler fire Chief Mark Dennis, firefighting has changed significantly since he began on the job.

That change is highlighted in the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) 2022 Fire Safety Week Campaign, “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan your escape.”

Dennis says that when he began on the job, the general was crews would have up to 20 minutes to respond and contain a fire. Today, with the materials homes are constructed out of and the items that tend to be in them, people finding themselves in a fire could have less than two-minutes before the structure’s floors begin to collapse.

“It’s a whole different approach now,” said Dennis.

“You don’t have very much time to get out of a structure. Have a plan with your family.”

For 2022, the centennial anniversary of the event, Fire Safety Week will take place from Oct. 9 through Oct. 15.

According to Dennis, Fire Safety Week is a good time to check the functionality of smoke detectors and review fire safety plans with children, especially if it has been a couple of years.

Where smoke detectors are concerned, there should be at least one per level located near the bed rooms; however, Dennis suggests having one in every bedroom as an added level of safety.

In newer homes, and most commercial institutions, smoke detectors are required to be hard-wired in so if one alarm goes off, they all go off. With them being wired in, they can even be connected into people’s home or commercial alarm systems.

While the alarm systems with smoke and heat detectors built in are beneficial, they can be problematic as well if they go off while someone is cooking, Dennis says.

Depending on how they are set up, the alarms can trigger a response from the fire department by the alarm company. Typically, in the case of fire, the alarm company will not attempt to contact the home owner first as the belief is, if the fire alarm is going off, the residents have left the building.

If the alarm was triggered by something as simple as burning the toast, Dennis notes that cancelling the alarm at the panel will not cancel the fire department response.

“Call your alarm company dispatcher,” said Dennis.

“Let them know that it is a non-event. It’s something alarm companies don’t explain very well.”

The Stettler Regional Fire Department is headquartered at its main fire hall in the Town of Stettler, and responds from stations all over Stettler County.

According to Dennis, the service responds from anywhere between 250 and 300 calls per year, ranging from simple false-alarms to complex vehicle extrication or fire investigations requiring many hours on scene.

“It’s very busy for the full-time staff,” said Dennis.

The regional fire service does an annual recruiting push in October and November. Anyone wishing to volunteer are asked to leave their contact information with the town or county administrative offices and someone with the department will get back to them.

According to the NFPA website, Fire Safety Week is observed the week of Oct. 9 as a tribute to the Chicago Fire of 1871. The fire, which began Oct. 8, 1871, killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 people homeless, destroyed 17,400 structures, and burned 2,000 acres of land.



Kevin Sabo

About the Author: Kevin Sabo

I’m Kevin Sabo. I’ve been a resident of the Castor area for the last 12 years and counting, first coming out here in my previous career as an EMT.
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