Invermere Fire Rescue
626 - 4 St., PO Box 1042 V0A 1K0 Invermere, BC, Canada

** CORRECTION MADE BELOW: there are THREE nights of closures NOT four this week, as indicated earlier. ***CORRECTION MADE BELOW: extended closure begins on Mo...nday, April 12 at 9 am, NOT noon, as indicated earlier. Three nights of Kicking Horse Canyon (Hwy 1) closures start today (April 6) at 7 pm, and end Friday, April 9 at 5 am: 2-hour evening closures -- 7 pm to 9 pm Overnight closures --10 pm to 5 am Single-lane alternating traffic daily, 9 am to 3 pm, ending Saturday, April 10. (**Tuesday, April 6 does not start til noon) EXTENDED closure from Monday, April 12 at 9 am, to Friday, May 14 at noon. DETOUR: Hwy 93 and Hwy 95 through Radium Hot Springs. Eastbound traffic will turn south on Hwy 95, at Golden. Westbound traffic destined for Golden and beyond will turn south on Hwy 93 at Castle Junction, Alberta. (Westbound traffic headed for Lake Louise, Field and Beaverfoot can continue on Hwy 1). What to expect on the alternate Hwy 93/95 route through Radium Hot Springs: https://www.kickinghorsecanyon.ca/construc/alternate-route/

On April 5th at 10:00pm IFR was dispatched to The 800 block on 10th Ave for smoke in a unit. Firefighters determined the smoke was caused by cooking. There were no injuries reported.

On April 5 at approximately 6:00pm The IFR tanker truck was dispatched to Windermere area with two members to assist with a wildland fire.

On April 2 at 4:30pm IFR was dispatched to the Radium area for an MVI. Firefighters responded but were stood down en route as assistance was not required.

On April 2nd at 2:00pm IFR was dispatched to the area of Castle Rock for smoke smell coming from inside the home. Firefighters disconnected the furnace and were able to trace the source of the smell to a faulty furnace motor. There were no injuries or damage.

"Chimney fires are no big deal..." For one Westsyde family, trying to warm up the house turned into a very big deal this week. If you are using wood heat i...n your home in this current cold snap, PLEASE consider some of the following: -The inside of your chimney will contain creosote from condensed smoke. Under the right conditions, creosote is HIGHLY flammable. Do NOT let creosote build up in your chimney. Clean your chimney at a MINIMUM of once per year. -If a chimney fire happens, the creosote can burn extremely hot. In a masonry chimney, the flue and mortar can crack due to the extreme heat, allowing flames to contact nearby wood framing. In a metal chimney, the flue can heat up enough to glow red-hot, igniting nearby wood framing. -If your fireplace/wood stove is an older installation, consider not using it, or having it replaced with a safer, more efficient modern wood stove. -Using your wood-burning appliance intermittently, and/or burning on a "low" setting will actually cause creosote to build up relatively more quickly than a hot, continuous fire will. "Cool" smoke condensing inside your chimney before it reaches the top causes creosote. If you have intermittent or "dampered down" fires, please inspect/clean your chimney frequently! See more

During Burn Awareness Week, take a moment to make sure you’re staying safe around electricity and fix any hazards that may be present in your home: Extension ...cords should only be used temporarily, and don’t overload them. Have a licensed electrician install additional wall outlets if you need them. Find one at www.technicalsafetybc.ca/find-licensed-contractor If cords are cracked, frayed or damaged, replace them. Don’t try to repair them. Use light bulbs that match the recommended wattage on the lamp or fixture.

This week is National Burn Awareness Week #NBAW. Burns to the human body can come from many causes, but for 2021, we are focusing on "Electrical Safety, from A...mps to Zap". How aware are YOU about electrical safety? Whether from electrocution, or igniting a fire, improper use of electricity causes hundreds of injuries and deaths every year in North America. See more

Carbon Monoxide Safety Alert! Please take a minute to clear ice off your newer homes high efficiency intakes and exhausts on your house or it may back up into ...your home. CO has no odor, can’t see it- the silent killer! Be safe and buy a CO detector for under $40. Might save your families life! Stay warm and safe! See more

Our thoughts and prayers are with the BFD and their families.

Captain Jeff Hebert has been with Nelson Fire & Rescue Services for 21 years, starting at age of 22 and moving up the ranks from Auxiliary to Captain. Today he was appointed as the City of Nelson's new Assistant Fire Chief. Congratulations A/C Hebert!

Chase fire and rescue recently practiced a few man down drills. Our best time was 42 seconds we will get better, hopefully not ever having to use it on scene. Stay safe everyone.

On November 2/20 we made another trip to Vancouver Island to pick up donations from Lake Cowichan FD (left photo) and Extension FD just outside Nanaimo. Another... full pick up load of turnout gear, helmets, boots. coveralls and medical equipment. A big thank you to both communities and fire departments for their ongoing support with their latest donations. See more

On Friday November 6, 2020 we sent our 9th 40' container filled with retired Canadian firefighting gear and equipment on it's way to the Philippines. The ship s...ails tomorrow November 11th from Deltaport Container Port in Delta BC on a direct sailing to Kaohsiung Taiwan, then transferring to another ship for the final leg to Manila, with tentative arrival around December 7th. From there, the container will be trucked about 2 hours north to the City of Tarlac and the Tarlac Filipino-Chinese Fire Brigade will then distribute this, the 3rd 40' container from our group in the past couple of years. We have an excellent working relationship with this group and others in Tarlac who are incredibly dedicated to helping other fire departments, civil defence and other rescue groups throughout the Tarlac region. This container has over 500 sets of turnout gear and tons of other equipment collected from fire departments all over western Canada. This marks our 117th shipment from Vancouver and our 25th to the Philippines since 2010. Next week we start loading container #10, which will be almost 3/4 full in short order. Once again a huge thank you to Brian Formo and the crew from Eagle West Cranes who did the container lift, Big Dog Containers who supply us with the containers, Harbourlink Container Services who transport the container to the docks for export, and Denny Sui and his team at Canaan Logistics who help make this happen. Thanks also to all the fire departments, search and rescue groups, ambulance services, government agencies, private companies and others from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the U.S. state of Washington who contributed their donations to this shipment. Plans are in the works for another 40' container to Tarlac in early/mid 2021. See more

This has been a year of change and adaptation for every person, business and organization, and Invermere Fire Rescue is no exception. Typically, at this time o...f year, IFR would be eagerly preparing to host our annual Fireman’s Ball fundraiser. This would have marked our 49th consecutive event. Unfortunately, due to all the reasons you already know too well, we are deeply saddened to announce that we have no choice but to cancel our world-famous (ok, valley-famous) event for this year. In past years, we have raised funds dedicated primarily to purchasing equipment not otherwise funded by government programs and grants - most noteworthy being our Road Rescue Truck, and most recently our Sprinkler Protection Unit (our current work in progress). IFR members would like to extend our gratitude to the incredible individuals and businesses for their support over the past 48 years. We are optimistic that we will be back next year with an even bigger and better Fireman’s Ball; and we can’t wait to see you all again, dressed to the nines! Thank you, Invermere! Sincerely, The Invermere Fire Rescue Crew