Major Ed Dean of the Salvation Army in Prince Albert spent one week feeding fire crews and RCMP as a relief project for wildfires in Jasper.
Dean said the work continues for the Salvation Army to assist with wildfires but his group was no longer needed after the first week.
“I was there for a week. I went in on a Wednesday and I left on a Wednesday. Another team came in that was in Jasper itself. Our operation in Hinton was closed down and it was transferred to Jasper,” Dean explained.
Dean went to Hinton on July 23 and returned from Alberta on Aug. 1. After Dean left all services were transferred to Jasper because it was where all activity was happening.
“The Salvation Army is still there, the third rotation has just gone in of people to assist. They are serving evacuees at this point in time. We were serving RCMP and firemen and that role has now switched to evacuees,” he explained.
The most people Dean served in one sitting was 227 people.
“We served RCMP and we served firemen during our time there. We served everything from chili to breakfast, to making bag lunches for them,” Dean said.
Dean’s team of four people was replaced by a team from High Level who moved into Jasper to serve meals. That group in High Level served up to 550 people at a sitting in Jasper.
“That would be anything from breakfast to snacks. Some of the tours that went in,
Salvation Army provided a bag lunch for that group and the snacks that went along the way,” Dean said.
He said that right now the Salvation Army is serving out of Hinton with a 35 foot trailer, which includes a complete kitchen.
Dean explained that his group was needed after the initial fires and the need still exists but has adjusted.
“We were there for the initial (need) and then the then the reassessment of what those needs were. We evaluate it an then adjustments were made,” Dean said.
He explained that they are normally on a two-week rotation but they were only one week before being shut down.
“Some of that team that were on the initial rotation with me have now been redeployed back into Hinton to serve on the second deployment,” Dean said.
He said hat with Hinton being 70 kilometers away from Jasper they did not experience any danger.
“When the second team did go into Jasper, though, they had to be pulled back to Hinton,” Dean said.
He said that operating out of Hinton offers challenges because of the size of the community.
“Of course, being that distance away has its own dynamics and demographics with getting meals hot and stuff like that and what amount of stuff can you source because of course this is a small community,” Dean said.
According to Dean the community was very welcoming.
“The local people were very good to us. We were we were set up in the Ramada. That’s where we were staying at the time,” Dean said.
The current operation has a bunkhouse and does not need to stay in a hotel.
“People say, well, ‘how are the Salvation Army funds used?’ Well that is one way that the Salvation Army funds are used,” he said.
According to Dean there is an Emergency Disaster Services Golf Tournament in Edmonton that allows the Salvation Army to raise money to purchase equipment.
“If you are interested in supporting the continuation of the Salvation Army’s work in Jasper and area, we are serving. Actually, we’re serving evacuees of Edson as well through our facility at Jasper,” Dean said.
He said that a team of six went in on Monday of this week to take over on Tuesday.
Dean said that as the Emergency Services Specialist for Saskatchewan he will be coordinating some of the training in the fall.
“If they would like to give financially The Salvation Army earmark if for Jasper relief and it will go to that project,” he said.
Michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
