It’s not often the Moose Jaw and District Fire Department provides extensive details about its rescue efforts, but an incident during the fourth quarter of 2021 was considered worthy of attention.
The fire department provided a detailed explanation about its response to a house fire on Oct. 7, 2021, as part of its fourth-quarter report it provided during the recent city council meeting.
Moose Jaw fire, police and EMS responded to a house fire at 1025 Caribou Street West around 1:33 a.m. on Oct. 7, and when the firefighters arrived, a man was outside screaming that other people were inside, Fire Chief Rod Montgomery wrote. The man was also breaking the glass in the front window and bedroom windows while attempting to enter the house to locate the victims.
“Flame and smoke were coming from the (one) side of the house and heavy smoke from the front windows and doors. Firefighters stretched a 200-foot attack line from engine 2 and made entry through the front door on the (main) side for primary search and fire control,” the chief continued.
One team of firefighters deployed a second handline as another team went inside to battle the blaze. While deploying the line, police noticed there were people at one of the corner windows of the house.
Officers grabbed a child and handed the youth to EMS and other police. Police grabbed the other person by the arm but could not pull the resident out, so firefighters grabbed a step ladder and removed the second person. EMS and police then performed CPR on the person before transporting both individuals to the hospital.
By now, flames were spreading from the rear of the house to the front.
“We were now in a defensive mode fighting the fire from outside. Fire had engulfed the whole rear of the house and was now into the roof,” said Montgomery.
A ruptured gas line was feeding the fire, and while SaskEnergy and SaskPower were en route, firefighters continued to perform defensive fire control on all sides and knocked down hot spots. SaskEnergy arrived and shut off the gas line, but the line continued to leak and feed the fire until the line was shut off at the house.
“A positive outcome was achieved, and no loss of life occurred because of all those involved,” the fire chief added.
Fourth-quarter data
Data from the fire department about its activities during the fourth quarter of 2021, 2020 and 2019 show:
- False alarms: 76 / 65/ 84
- Fires: 34 / 22 / 24
- First responder EMS: 17 / seven / 26
- Hazardous materials: 0 / nine / 41
- Malfunctioning equipment: eight / zero / seven
- Motor vehicle collision: 25 / seven / 21
- Carbon monoxide, other: one / nine / four
- Electrical: two / three / zero
- Rescue: four / five / one
- Service calls: 35 / six / 10
- Total Q4 calls: 202 / 133 / 218
The fire department also began to provide public education activities again during the final three months of 2021. Data from Q4 in 2021, 2020 and 2019 show:
- Fire safety program presentations: 42 / zero / 17
- School assemblies/pre-schools/daycares: 7 / 0 / 2
- Adult fire safety: two / zero / two
- Public relations events: zero / zero / two
- Station tours: zero / zero / seven
- Special group fire safety presentations: 0 / 1 / 1
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 14.
