Last weekend was extremely busy for members of the 100 Mile House Fire-Rescue, but they managed to pull it off with flying colours.
Noting September was abnormally slow in terms of callouts, Fire-Rescue chief Darrell Blades says October got off to a quick start.
Around 11:40 p.m. on Oct. 3, firefighters responded to a medical callout in the downtown area.
Blades says the crew just cleared that call, put the trucks away. and were just locking up the hall and heading home when a call came through at six minutes after midnight. It was for a mutual aid response to a structure fire in the 5200 block of Ridgeview Road between Buffalo Creek and Forest Grove.
Noting it was a medicinal grow-op, he says they responded quickly because there was almost a full crew already at the hall. Forest Grove and 100 Mile firefighters "worked very well together" and had the fire knocked down very quickly, he adds.
They were on scene until around 3 a.m.
Fire-Rescue members had a training day on Oct. 4, during which they practised exterior firefighting with four-man crews at the training centre.
Then on Oct. 5, they held an Open House at the hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Noting it had been a few years since they hosted an open house, Blades says it went well with steady traffic throughout the day. The featured event was the extrication demonstration during which crews rescued a "patient" who was trapped in a pickup truck – all of the spectators eyes were glued to the action.
Blades says the firefighters have decided to hold an open house on the first Sunday of Fire Prevention Week from now on.
Around noon during the open house, firefighters responded to a two-vehicle incident at the intersection of Highway 97 and Tatton Station Road.
Then at 1:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a medical callout at 103 Mile.
Blades said they cleaned up after the open house and left for home after a very busy weekend.