ATHABASCA – A sharp decrease in the number of medical and wildfire calls saw the Town of Athabasca’s Fire Department respond to less than half as many calls between April and June than it did in the same period last year.
Fire Chief Jason Sturrock presented his quarterly report to Athabasca’s council July 16, where he outlined the staffing complement, call count and upcoming focus for this department.
“Q2 was kind of a slow quarter for us,” said Sturrock. “A decrease in alarm calls and medicals, although there was no real reason as to why.”
The department responded to 31 calls in the quarter, including ten bona fide fire calls, more than 50 per cent less than the 72 it went to in 2023. In 2023, the department had already responded to 26 fires — split between structure, vehicle, wildland, and other — which was a notable outlier from 2022 (nine) and 2021 (15).
Sturrock said the department was switching its training focus to motor vehicle collisions and water rescue training in preparation for the summer months, including a session on Baptiste Lake, which delighted many passersby.
“We have a swift water rescue team and a boat, so we had them all out there as well as some of our new members to give them the big sights,” said Sturrock.
Recruitment has been a strong point for the department, with the spring block closing July 31. Sturrock’s team is up to 23 members, with a couple more on a leave of absence. One member recently departed after finding a full-time position.
Coun. Darlene Reimer commended the department for its strong volunteerism spirit, particularly in a time where many small communities are struggling with volunteers.
“My nephew lives in Grand Forks, B.C., and they were going to shut the whole thing down because they didn’t have enough volunteers,” she said. “You guys are doing something right and it’s wonderful. I’m glad you’re able to spark the interest to get volunteers.”
Attracting volunteers has been tough on the department, according to Sturrock, but he said he was happy with the latest bunch of recruits, which includes a few younger firefighters.
“I’ve found the recruits we have been getting have been more present,” he added.
At the end of Q2, the department has responded to 68 calls for the year. Sturrock added the department had been off to a busy start, with 10 calls coming in in the first 15 days, including five in a two-day stretch, and a variety of community events.
