Kevin Berger
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Clark’s Crossing Gazette
Just in time for the spring fire season, the Blucher Aberdeen Volunteer Fire Department (BAVFD) east of Saskatoon has a new custom-built wildland fire truck designed to combat grass fires.
On April 26, the BAVFD invited the public to their hall at Sunset Estates for a “key-turning” ceremony, as well as a showcase of the new truck’s firefighting capabilities.
What makes the truck special? Fire chief Mike Steckhan said that unlike the big trucks you see in Saskatoon, this unit can actually go off road “and quite handily so,” as it was designed for a Canadian environment.
The truck also has nozzles on the front bumper enabling it to spray water as it drives forward, and mounted sprayers on both sides to attack fires in multiple directions.
Mike said the truck also has 200 feet of fire hose, enabling firefighters to extinguish spot fires a fair distance from the truck, as well as a separate foam tank and a separate engine that powers the water pump.
Of course, none of these bells and whistles come for free. The truck was built at Acres Industries south of Brandon, Man., and it cost approximately $385,000, according to Joan Steckhan, who headed up a fundraising committee for the truck.
Joan indicated the RMs of Blucher and Aberdeen each contributed over $140,000 each towards the truck, leaving them to raise the remaining $100,000.
Thankfully, another $50,000 was contributed by Nutrien, which operates the nearby Patience Lake potash mine.
Because of Nutrien’s generosity in helping to buy the truck (and past support for the fire hall, which bears the company’s logo), mine general manager Rob King was invited to perform the official key-turning for the truck.
“It’s a real privilege to be here today and take part in this,” said King, adding that Nutrien’s purpose is to help feed the world, and investing in communities and people help nourish their communities as well.
“The wildlands fire truck is a direct investment in local safety and in the people who step up when it matters most. It’s a strong example of what happens when community and industry work together.”
Another $25,000 was contributed towards the truck by KPCL Dirt Movers, while many community members also made individual donations ranging from $50 to $1,000.
Mike said the people in the area understand that having this piece of equipment to fight grass fires is a good thing for the community.
Noting that all their members are volunteers, Mike said, “One thing that keeps our morale up and keeps our volunteers enthused is to know that with the presentation of a piece of equipment like this, that the community takes us seriously. And that’s tremendously important for volunteers to know, that the community actually supports their efforts.”
Joan said that as of April 26, they hadn’t yet been called out to any grass fires, but they usually will get called two or three times in the spring.
“We’re certainly waiting for it, because it happens every year,” she said.
On a related note, the BAVFD recently completed the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s Transportation Rescue Extrication (TREX) Program, which helps firefighters meet standardized training and equipment levels so they can help rescue trapped motorists.
