Redvers Volunteer Fire Department

Parade about to begin. Firemen style.

This just in! Santa & Mrs. Claus are doing a test run on Saturday and they are going to stop in Redvers to stretch their legs! How lucky are we! Thanks to the R...edvers Volunteer Fire Department, Santa & Mrs. Claus will be snagging a ride and making their way down each and every street in Redvers. Stand on your step and give them a wave! The solo parade will start at 1:00 p.m. so listen for the fire trucks as they make their way through town! *Please ensure that you are following all current Saskatchewan Government Public Health Measures which can be found at: https://www.saskatchewan.ca//2019-n/public-health-measures

As Fire Prevention Week comes to a close on the calendar we want to remind everyone that Fire Prevention needs to happen 52 weeks of the year not just one week.... This is on our minds more today than ever before because of the past 3 days. I as Fire Chief for the Town of Kindersley and RM #290 Kindersley feel very blessed to have the best fire crew that a Chief Officer could ever wish for. I’m extremely proud of my team and proud to serve this community. I’m also very blessed to have very skilled fire departments in the region, fire departments that will come to our aid in a moment without giving it a second thought. There is a very strong regional cooperation between fire chiefs and their departments. This is not always the case in every region but in this area, fire chiefs are committed to working together for the benefit of the department and community. We also have incredible working relations with the RCMP and EMS Services. Again we are proud of the first responder team that serves all of you. We are all committed to doing our absolute best for you. I feel compelled to share with the community what the first responders have been through in the events of October 8 - 10. At 22:45 Oct 8, Kindersley Fire was Dispatched to a grain elevator fire in Marengo. We responded with Command 1, Command 2, Wildland 1, Wildland 2, Wildland 3, Engine 2, Tender 1,Tender 2 and a crew of 13 that included fire fighters and officers. At 22:54 as we turned West onto Highway 7 from Highway 21 we were getting our first visible signs in the sky ahead that we were headed for a long night. 23:02 request was made for additional water haulers with a call being put out to Holland’s Hot Oiling 23:09 Oyen Fire was requested for mutual aid 23:12 we requested mutual aid from Kerrobert and Eatonia 23:23 our units were pulling on scene of a fully involved elevator, annex and other buildings. Once on scene and having done an initial assessment and 360 degree check of the situation we met with managers of the structures involved to obtain all vital information that we require in order to determine our objectives. We were told that the building directly next to the elevator (approximately 30 meters away)was an agricultural chemical storage facility. We were told the classes of chemicals and quantities located in the structure. We were also informed of a 500 and 18,000 litre propane bullets on the property. We asked the RCMP to start an evacuation of the village. A local State of Emergency was declared. The RCMP along with the Village of Marengo and RM of Milton Councils and EMO begin the process of notifying residence to evacuate immediately. The RCMP were going door to door. Sask Power was asked to shut down all power to the community to remove electrical hazards in the immediate area of the fire and in the event that the worst occurs as the incident unfolds. Sask Energy employees were required to dig gas lines and shut them in to remove potential gas leaks. The windows of the chemical facility were no longer intact due to the extreme heat and fire crews immediately began cooling the chemical structure. There was a high risk of a BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion) occurring in the 500 litre propane cylinder. While crews from Kindersley and Oyen cooled the chemical building, the crew from Kerrobert deployed a master stream (large water line capable of 500 gallons per minute) onto the propane cylinder to keep it cool. Kerrobert and Kindersley then deployed hand lines to try and keep the hoses supplying the master stream from melting. Eatonia was working on cooling and preventing spread of the fire to the east. 01:54 Oct 9 the wall of the elevator collapsed and cut off all supply lines that were cooling the propane cylinder. An immediate evacuation of the area was given and all fire crews disconnected their lines leaving them laying on the ground. Crews and apparatus pulled back to highway 7 and went into a hold and wait until the situation became stable At approximately 03:46 crews from Oyen, Kerrobert and Eatonia were released. The propane risk was stable and Kindersley crews returned to the scene and continued to extinguish. 14 hours into the fire the first of our crews were given a rest break. Thank you to Eston fire whom sent a crew to man the lines while we had a short rest. Crews continued to work this fire until 13:14 Oct 10. Most of our staff had not slept in 30 hours at the time of their first rest brake as they had all worked their day jobs prior to responding. We were now 37 hours into this call and finally heading for home base. Once back we will decontaminate all equipment, wash and hang all hoses and reload our apparatus so that we are in a complete state of readiness. At 15:15 we were back in service. It’s been 39 hours since the initial dispatch. It is for the event above that I say I’m extremely proud of our team, proud of our region and the cooperation among all first responders. When things are bad, the best in all of us does come out. Thank you first to my staff (Kindersley Fire)and their families. Thank you to ALL who gave assistance Kerrobert Fire Eatonia Fire Oyen Fire Eston Fire Holland’s Hot Oiling Coutts Water Trucks Vansickles Water Trucks RCMP EMS RM of Milton Village of Marengo Providence Grain G-Macs Sibald Hutterite Colony The track hoe operators and companies Sask Power Sask Energy I’m sure i missed someone and apologize if I’ve missed you. All of the above supplied resources, food etc into the effort. The attached video shows what the situation was like on scene. What you’re seeing is a fully involved elevator. You see the large embers falling on first responders as they continue to protect.

The My Mutual First Responder Contest is back and it is now time to vote! We need the Town of Redvers and surrounding communities to help our Fire Department win $24,000!! Each person can vote ONCE PER DAY, PER EMAIL. It is super important that each of us takes the time EACH and EVERY day between September 17-24 to vote. ... Pass the word around and help us win this contest! https://my-mutual-insurance.wishpondpages.com//e/190818563

Thank you for your votes!!!

We are ready for a weekend of training. Sign up today.

Thank you to everyone who has voted and continues to vote! Share with your friends, family, coworkers, neighbours and kids! Let’s pull together and show everyone what small town support can do! You can vote once every 24hrs until Sept 24th at midnight! ... Link to vote: https://my-mutual-insurance.wishpondpages.com//e/190818563

ATTENTION ALL FIRE DEPARTMENTS Deadline for registration is October 2nd. If you have any questions do not be afraid to reach out!

Hard to believe that 19 years have past but the memories feel like yesterday. When most ran from the flames and the wreckage, they ran into them, without pause. 343 never made it out.... We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. But one thing we can do is to never forget them. https://youtu.be/6wXYJxB1GbU

Fall fire school is fast approaching get your registrations in.

A friendly reminder to everyone! School Starts Today Keeping roads safe during the Back to School season and beyond is a priority that we can all agree on. ... We can all do our part by remembering that children have a limited understanding of danger and can be easily distracted themselves. Enjoy your first day back!

Unfortunately, due to a glitch in the voting platform that My Mutual used for the First Responders Contest, all voting has been halted. If you have been trying to vote and cannot, that is why. Once My Mutual gets things back up and running for the contest, we will inform you that voting has resumed. Thank you very much for your support so far!!

Voting begins today!! https://www.mymutualinsurance.ca//50-redvers-fire-departme

There is still time to get your tickets!

Fire school registration is available on the SVFFA website!

Backyard raffle tickets for sale Party for approximately 10 people will include food and drinks. We will be leaving behind the BBQ, cooler and a couple of chairs to the lucky winner! Contact any firemen or the town office for tickets. E-transfers are accepted as a payment method, please send us a private message for more details. ... Draw date: September 1st/2020

During the fall harvest season, farmers will spend hours in equipment. That includes ‘old pros’ and younger, newer farmers as well. So, we are bringing a few tips as a friendly reminder to stay safe this harvest season! Check out these important safety tips to consider as you prepare for harvest season this year: -Always wear seat belts.... -Know where family members and workers are. Visibility is poor around large machinery and at night. Be sure to know where everyone is so that no one is in danger. -Put equipment in neutral or park, engage parking brake, and turn off engine before dismounting. Wait until all mechanisms have stopped moving before attempting to service or unclog a machine. -Limit riders on equipment! -Stay alert. Take breaks throughout the day. Be sure to have your cell phone charged in case you need to communicate or have a problem or emergency. -Get enough sleep. -Train all operators to safely operate the equipment. -Have all safety equipment in proper condition and ready to use such as safety glasses, hearing protection and respiratory masks. -Have ROPS (rollover protective structures) fitted on tractors. -Never stand on grain that is being moved. Every year people drown in grain carts and grain bins that are being emptied. Keep kids away from grain hauling equipment. -Keep grain auger grates and shields in place. Be sure your equipment is properly maintained to avoid breakdowns. -If you must move machinery on a roadway after dark, have all necessary working headlights and flashing front and rear warning lights. The better you can be seen the less likely you are to be hit by a motorists. See more