Greenview Fire Rescue Services #32 Station Grovedale

Meet Jay Switzer! 1)Age? 49... 2)How long have been on the department? 3 years 3)Tell us a little about yourself outside of the department. I moved to Grovedale 15 years ago from Kelowna BC . I am married with one teenage son. When I'm not working I like to go camping with my family and watch my son play football. 4)What/who inspired you to join a volunteer fire department? I always wanted to be part of a fire department since I was young. I thought joining volunteer fire department would be a good fit for me. 5)What’s your secret talent that no one knows about? If I told you then it wouldn't be a secret. Lol 6)What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on? Home renovations 7)Are you an early bird or a night owl? Early bird 8)What’s one thing that surprised you about working with Greenview Fire Rescue? I am surprised at how busy we are for a volunteer fire department. 9)What’s one accomplishment that you’re really proud of since joining? Learning how to run the engine and pump water. 10)What’s the biggest misconception you think people have about the fire department? I have to be available at a moment's notice, respond to all sorts of calls in a large geographical area, come home and still go to my regular job. 11)What’s your favorite quote? Six of one half a dozen of the other, or one bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, although I never get it right. My wife has to correct me every time. 12)What’s a small thing someone did that really encouraged you? I get encouragement from fellow firefighters all the time which makes me love working for the Grovedale Fire Department. #volunteerfiredepartment #meetyourfirefightersfriday #mdgreenview16 #firstresponders

From all of us at Station 32:

Meet Shawn Clarke 1)Age? 40... 2)How long have been on the department? I have been on the department just over 12 years I think. I did take a break for just over a year in there too. 3)Tell us a little about yourself outside of the department. I volunteer for other agencies outside of the fire department. I am a pilot with CASARA Civil aviation search and rescue Agency. I have a wonderful family that keeps me busy and I do a lot of flying when I’m not working. 4)What/who inspired you to join a volunteer fire department? The flashing red lights 5)What’s your secret talent that no one knows about? I’m pretty good at standing on my head. I once won a race on a creeper standing on my head and moving across the floor to the other side of the room without falling over. 6)What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on? I’m working on my 3rd class power engineering ticket. 7)Are you an early bird or a night owl? Let’s face it at this age I’m an early bird because my bladder says so. 8)What’s one thing that surprised you about working with Greenview Fire Rescue? There are always new challenges everyday. It keeps you on your toes. 9)What’s one accomplishment that you’re really proud of since joining? There are a lot of accomplishments that I am really proud of. One that is the most recent and probably the one I’m most proud of is gaining control of my weight and health over the last year. 10)What’s the biggest misconception you think people have about your position? I think the biggest misconception that a lot of people have is that a fire fighter will come no matter what. We do put ourselves in high risk situations but only with the proper training to mitigate those risks. If the risk is to high we sometimes wont be able to respond. The river is a good example of that problem especially during flooding season. 11)What’s your favorite quote? Pretty much anything tacky will do. I’m easy. 12)What’s a small thing someone did that really encouraged you? Lending a hand when they didn’t really have the time to give. That always encourages me. #volunteerfiredepartment #meetyourfirefightersfriday #mdgreenview16

Calls for service for the weeks of March 14th - 20th and March 21st - 27th 2021: MVC - 3 MCR - 1... #volunteerfiredepartment #firstresponders #mdgreenview16

Meet: Kevin Bowie 1)Age? Older than dirt...or 61... 2)How long have been on the department? About three years??? 3)Tell us a little about yourself outside of the department. I am a retired Fire Fighter and have not had enough yet so decided to join Grovedale and share my knowledge and experience. I run a small business and have the time to help out in my community. We have four grown boys and have 9 grandkids. I love to work and build things. 4)What/who inspired you to join a volunteer fire department? What inspired me to join was the people that are in the department. They all demonstrate what is good in this area. We all have fun and work hard. I feel being the training officer it is my job as a old firefighter to teach all our members how to become an old firefighter. 5)What’s your secret talent that no one knows about? My hidden talent is that I am very funny( old man jokes) but nobody gets them and I have to explain them. At my last station Stephan always told me I was only allowed one old man joke per shift 6)What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on? The one skill I am working on is learning how to retire. I would like to become a professional. 7)What’s one thing that surprised you about working with Greenview Fire Rescue? How big our response area is and how long it takes to get to a scene. Coming from a full time city department our response time was usually under five minutes vs taking hours to get to a incident. 8)What’s one accomplishment that you’re really proud of since joining? I am able to share my knowledge and experience by teaching the Nfpa 1001 to our members. 9)What’s the biggest misconception you think people have about your position? The biggest misconception is that we are not full-time paid firefighters, because of the skills we have and use on scene. We train and practice to maintain our skills to be able to assist the members of the public that live and travel through our area. 10)What’s your favorite quote? My favourite quote has always been: None of us is as good as all of us. 11)What’s a small thing someone did that really encouraged you? Being included in my new family.

In October your Grovedale volunteers wore pink for breast cancer awareness. #volunteerfiredepartment #breastcancerawarenessmonth #mdgreenview16

Calls for service for the week of November 8 - 14, 2020. None #volunteerfiredepartment ... #firstresponders #mdgreenview16 See more

Today we take the time to remember those that have served and continue to serve our country for our freedom. #remembranceday #volunteerfiredepartment #mdgreenview16

Calls for service for the week of November 1st - November 7th: None. #volunteerfiredepartment #firstresponders #mdgreenview16

Calls for service for the week of October 25th - 31st. MVC - 1 MCR - 1 #volunteerfiredepartment #firstresponders #mdgreenview16

Thank you to all the trick or treaters big and small for coming out!! And thank you to William Vavrek Photography for the pictures!

Just a reminder to change your clocks back an hour. It is recommended to also change your smoke alarm batteries at the same time to help you remember to do it!

Here are some safe trick or treating tips for your little ghouls and goblins. Don't forget to join us at the firehall tonight from 6-8 for some treats. We can't wait to see all the great costumes! Stay safe everyone and have a fantastic evening!... *covid precautions will be in place* #halloween #volunteerfiredepartment #mdgreenview16

Have a kid-free zone of at least 1 metre around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared.

Thanksgiving weekend is upon us and with this year's fire prevention week theme being "safety in the kitchen", we wanted to share some safety tips for cooking a turkey. Deep frying a turkey has been increasing in popularity over the years, but many are unaware of the dangers. Please keep these points in mind when attempting to deep fry a turkey especially if it is your first time. Place your fryer in a flat open area of your yard away from the house and other flammable mate...rials. Preferably on a gravel, paved or cemented area. Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and dried. Water and oil do not mix and could cause the oil to bubble over causing a grease fire. Do not overfill your oil. Wear safety gear, anticipate for splashing hot oil. Using a thermometer will ensure the oil is hot enough before putting the turkey in but also that it does not get too hot during the cooking process. Lower the turkey in slowly to avoid splashing and spilling. Never leave the fryer unattended. Prepare all materials and tools needed before you start to heat the oil. Keep a fire extinguisher close and do not hesitate to call 911 if you do happen to have a grease fire. These fires spread quickly and can get out of hand fast. We hope that everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend! #nfpa #firepreventionweek #volunteerfiredepartment #happythanksgivingday #mdgreenview16

Never leave cooking food unattended. Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling or broiling food. If you have to leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Greenview Fire-Rescue Services stand in support of those fighting breast cancer and also those affected by it. We join others in going pink to help increase attention and support for awareness and early detection. #greenviewnews #breastcancerawarenessmonth #fightlikeagirl

If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly. Remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking. #firepreventionweek #nfpa #volunteerfiredepartment

You have to be alert when cooking. You won’t be alert if you are sleepy, have taken medicine or drugs, or have consumed alcohol that makes you drowsy. #firepreventionweek #nfpa #volunteerfiredepartment

Always keep an oven mitt and pan lid nearby when you’re cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan to smother the flame. Turn off the burner, and leave the pan covered until it is completely cool. Do not attempt to extinguish a grease fire with water as oil and water do not mix and could make the fire worse. #firepreventionweek #nfpa #volunteerfiredepartment

~~LAST DAY TO GET YOUR ENTRIES IN FOR THE DRAW!!~~ To kick off fire prevention week we at Greenview Fire Rescue station #32 would like to have a draw for two(2) smoke alarms! Leave a comment, tag yourself or tag a friend to enter. The draw will be held Sunday October 11th 2020 by 3pm.... * One entry per person * Grovedale residents only * Must have existing wiring or location for ceiling mount. Remember to test your alarms at least once a month, and batteries should be replaced once a year. Some great information and tips regarding smoke alarms can be found at: https://myhealth.alberta.ca//Smoke-alarms-and-home-safety..

As Fire Prevention Week approaches, Greenview Fire Rescue #32 station - Grovedale reminds residents to Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen! October 4th 2020 Greenview Fire Rescue #32 station - Grovedale is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen! The campaign works to educate everyone... about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe. Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in Canada. The majority of reported home fires started in the kitchen. Most home fires start with the ignition of food or other cooking materials. We know cooking fires can be prevented, said Lorraine Carli, vice-president of outreach and advocacy at NFPA. Staying in the kitchen while cooking, using a timer, and avoiding distractions such as electronics or TV are steps everyone can take to keep families safe in their homes. Greenview Fire Rescue #32 station - Grovedale encourages all residents to embrace the 2020 Fire Prevention Week theme. We want to share safety tips each day and useful information to keep everyone safe in the kitchen. For more general information about Fire Prevention Week and cooking fire prevention, visit www.fpw.org. #volunteerfiredepartment #nfpa #firepreventionweek

Calls for service for the week of September 27th - October 3rd 2020: MCR - 1 Electrical hazard - 1 #volunteerfiredepartment #firefighter #firstresponders #mdgreenview16

1 call for service for the week of September 20th - 26th 2020 - MVC This weekend members of our department, County of Grande Prairie fire department, and Norbord employees met at Norbord to learn their fire suppression systems and hydrant systems.

Congratulations Fire Chief Wayne Brown on your 1 year anniversary as Regional Fire Chief for the MD of Greenview Fire Rescue Services. Thank you for all you have done for us so far and we look forward to continuing to work with you and our sister stations!