Pincher Creek first responders to assist with wildfire effort

Josh Davis and Toni Lucas

Pincher Creek RCMP Detachment Commander Sergeant Mark Harrison was present as a delegation at today's meeting of the Town of Pincher Creek's Committee of the Whole. Harrison’s primary focus was to update the committee on the response to the catastrophic ongoing wildfire in Alberta, which has so far destroyed more than 1600 homes and buildings in the city of Fort McMurray.  The RCMP District Commander has requested officers to assist in Fort McMurray. "I provided him with some names of members who are available," said Harrison. "We could see a reduction in manpower resources in the next month, by the look of this disaster." Harrison said that a big concern is maintaining security within the area following the disaster.

According to Sgt. Harrison, two members of the RCMP who were originally intended to start at the Waterton Detachment on May 10 have already been deployed to Fort McMurray.

In an interview this evening Pincher Creek Emergency Services Chief Dave Cox said PCES has also made resources available to help deal with the crisis.

PARTY Program promotes road safety to local grade nine students

Josh Davis

"What do you think is worse, a fine, or spending the rest of your life knowing you’re responsible for a friend’s death?”  - RCMP Corporal Jeff Feist

On Tuesday April 12 over 20 youth attended a Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) interactive seminar in Pincher Creek. The grade nine students started off the morning as Pincher Creek’s EMS/Fire Base, then moveD to the Pincher Creek Community Health Centre in the afternoon. First responders of all kinds, including firefighters, EMS, RCMP, and hospital workers volunteered their time to present on topics such as distracted driving, driving under the influence, and to demonstrate the tools and techniques they use when saving lives.

Black bear killed on Highway 3

Alberta ESRD file photo

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

On the evening of Wednesday October 2, a black bear was hit and killed by a vehicle on Highway 3 near the junction with Highway 22.

Fish and Wildlife officers and Crowsnest Pass RCMP officers were called to the scene.  They removed the dead bear.  Crowsnest Pass Fish and Wildlife Officer John Clarke said that the bear was a female black bear that was not lactating although there were reports that cubs were nearby.   Clarke said Karelian bear dogs were used for tracking at the scene and the area was monitored for over 12 hours after the accident.  Clarke concluded that if there were any cubs accompanying the bear that was killed they had already been weaned, and no signs of them were found.

Open houses to be held at Pincher Creek and Cowley fire halls for Fire Safety Week

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

This week, October 6 - 12 is Fire Prevention Week 2013 throughout Canada.  Members from Pincher Emergency Services will be spreading the message of fire safety by visiting local schools during this week.   Two open houses will be held that the public is welcome to attend, one in Pincher Creek and the other in Cowley.

Local Fire Department Open House dates:

• Wednesday October 9, at 6:30 pm at the Cowley Fire Hall
• Thursday, October 10 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Pincher Creek Fire Hall

At the Pincher Creek Fire Hall located at Charlotte Street and Hewetson Avenue an open house is scheduled for Thursday, October 10, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.  This is an opportunity to meet fire department personnel from Pincher Creek, Lundbreck and Beaver Mines.  They will be on hand to answer questions, give tours, and explain more about the job they do, the role they play in our society, and the equipment that they use.

On October 9 at 6:30 pm the public is invited to come to an informational open house at the Cowley Fire Hall.  There will be hot dogs and refreshments, children will get to ride on the fire truck, and the department members will be teaching fire safety techniques.

High winds blow truck and trailer over on Highway 6

Another overturned holiday trailer on Highway 6
This one happened on sunday according to a reader
C. Davis photos

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

Pincher Creek Emergency Services responded to a vehicle that was blown over by the wind on Highway 6 approximately ten kilometres south of Pincher Creek at approximately noon on September 30.

A pickup truck that was pulling a holiday trailer lost control in the wind and both truck and trailer ended up on their sides in the ditch.  Pincher Creek Rescue and a Pincher Creek ambulance responded.  The two people in the vehicle were assessed and it was determined there were no injuries.

Due to the wind at the time of assessment, it was deemed prudent to wait until a safer time to right the vehicle and trailer.

Update 2:15 pm:  The Shell Waterton Complex is currently recording a wind speed of 60 kilometers per hour, at 2:00 pm September 30.   A representative said that in the last few hours they had a peak of 95 kilometers per hour.

* Correction;  The overturned trailer pictured in this article is apparently the result of an accident that occurred on Sunday, not the accident mentioned in the story.

Hiker rescued near Castle River

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

On Saturday, September 14 a woman that was hiking with a group of people fell on a hiking trail located approximately 4 kilometers from Castle Mountain Ski Resort along Castle River.

According to Emergency Chief Dave Cox the injured woman was a ten minute hike from a road, approximately.  She was brought out with the use of a stokes basket (a portable rescue litter) and a rescue wheel (a single wheel that attaches to the stokes basket for easier portablility) and then taken to Pincher Creek Hospital for treatment with undetermined injuries.  Chief Cox said that earlier reports that the victim had diabetes proved to be incorrect.

Beaver Mines Engine, Pincher Creek Rescue Unit, and Pincher Creek Ambulance were called to the scene.  Pincher Creek Search and Rescue was called in, although their services turned out to be not needed during this call.

Grass fire west of Crowsnest/Pincher Creek landfill quickly controlled

T. Lucas photos

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

At approximately 6 pm on Friday, August 30 Pincher Creek responded to a call involving a stubble fire in a grain field west of the Crowsnest/Pincher Creek Landfill. Units from Pincher Creek, Beaver Mines, Cowley and Lundbreck were dispatched.

Lundbreck's was the first unit on the scene, and farmers had the fire under control when they arrived.  All other units stood down.  Fire Chief Dave Cox estimated that 10 to 15 acres of  land were affected.

Pincher Creek Emergency Services also provided assistance at an accident scene on Highway 3 on Thursday night,August 29, which occurred around 11:30 pm about 13 kilometres west of Fort Macleod.  Multiple injuries resulted when two pickup trucks collided on the highway.  Ambulance crews from Pincher Creek, Piikani, and Fort Macleod assisted with the injured.

Quad accident victim leaves town by STARS

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

On August 26 at approximately 6:00 pm Pincher Creek Rescue and Pincher Creek Ambulance responded to a quad accident 4 miles south of the town of Pincher Creek.

The female driver of the quad was injured and STARS air ambulance was put on alert due to the nature of her injuries.

The victim was transported to Pincher Creek Hospital then transported to Calgary by STARS.

Emergency Services responds to Snake Trail area grass fire

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

A lightning strike east of the Snake Trail (northeast of Cowley in the Porcupines area)  started a grass fire on Friday evening  August 23.

Pincher Creek Emergency Services was called to respond at 5:30 pm.  Two units responded from Cowley and three responded from Pincher Creek.  Local ranchers and landowners were on scene where the department arrived and already had the fire partially controlled.  According to Fire Chief Dave Cox, the area was difficult to access.

The area affected approximately 1.5 acres.   The fire was out before 8:00 pm but one crew stayed until after dark to make sure the area was clear.

Two vehicle collision on Highway 3 near Pincher Creek

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

An accident closed Highway 3 close to the highway 785 junction for about an hour early in the afternoon today, June 29.  Two vehicles were involved in the collision.

One vehicle was a truck pulling a holiday trailer, and the other was a recreational vehicle.  Pincher Creek Fire, Rescue, and Ambulance responded.

There were nine people involved with the accident.  Two people were transported to hospital with undetermined injuries.

Rural Physician Action Plan stages accident simulation in Pincher Creek

T. Lucas photo

Toni Lucas - Media surrounded the ruined car a half block from the Pincher Creek Hospital on Saturday morning  May 25, snapping pictures of locals made up to be bleeding accident victims.

RCMP Pincher Creek Detachment Constable Olivier Richer directs
traffic away from accident scene

Thespian/victim Erica East
C. Davis and T. Lucas photos

The accident was a simulation, and the hideously wounded victims were local senior drama students from St. Michael's School and local EMS volunteer Nichole Stuart who was helping coach the victims in their roles. The simulation was staged to coincide with the arrival of 74 visitors including 55 medical professionals in training along with 19 of their spouses who were participating in a Rural Physician Action Plan (RPAP) tour of our rural area.

They watched as local Emergency Services swung into action.

Ryan Higgenbotham and Emilie Charette

Erica East played the role of the driver of the wrecked car, unconscious with simulated head wounds and embedded glass, and her front passenger was EMS worker Nichole Stuart.  Stuart played a panicked pregnant victim that had started labour due to the trauma of the accident.  In the back seat Emilie Charette suffered from head wounds and embedded glass, and Ryan Higginbotham appeared to have head injuries and a probable broken arm.

With calm efficiency EMS teams extricated the four victims.  "We are looking at an exercise on emergency response from a motor vehicle collision," said Pincher Creek Fire Chief David Cox.  "We'll do the assessment and the triage, the extrication,  and then the patients will go to the hospital and go through the different work stations inside.  I believe STARS is going to set a triage up, because they have a critical incident station."

Rural Physician Action Plan (RPAP) Communications Coordinator Cait Wills said the students came from various learning institutions.  "This is a group of students from the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine, Mount Royal's Faculty of Nursing, and the University of Alberta's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Physical Therapy Students from Augustana Campus.  We are at the Pincher Creek Hospital doing skill stations."

"We have about four (Rural Skills Station) Exercises a year, and we try to space it out between southern Alberta and northern Alberta. What we've done for the first time today at Pincher Creek Skills Session is we've invited spouses to attend. It is so important that they be part of the decision making process on whether or not to practice in a rural area."

CTV's Brendan Miller

The simulation was a surprise for the visiting medical students and their spouses.  In talking to a few of them at the scene it became obvious that they had not expected to witness an accident scene.  One woman admitted that she "may have heard whispers about it" but she did not expect it to be so realistic.  A few of the medical students were even singled out to be interviewed by the press, a situation that rural doctors occasionally face.  "I'm usually not allowed so close," joked CTV Calgary videographer Brendan Miller as he shot closeups of the "victims".

Once the victims were assessed, extracted and taken away by ambulance, the medical students followed them to the nearby Pincher Creek Hospital.  "I'm one of the organizers.  It's a multi-disciplinary rural medical exposure day," said local Doctor Gavin Parker.  "They are going to participate in a brief pre-hospital skills demonstration, have lunch at the hospital, then we're going to do some hands-on skills with the students."  The students and spouses were divided into different groups that toured through the facility where they visited various stations where the victims being treated. After that the medical students had some hands-on training.

Gavin and Jennifer Parker

The spouses were taken out for lunch and a tour of Pincher Creek with Dr. Parker's wife Jennifer.   To learn more about rural life, the tour was scheduled to visit a local ranch the following day.

At Harvest Coffee House

"We know that the health professionals will have a rewarding and fulfilling career in small town, Alberta," Jennifer Parker explained.  "But if the spouses don't think there are any opportunities for them, they won't be supportive of their spouse being in a small town.  I'm here to let them know that life is good in a small town.  There's lots of opportunities for professionals,  for children, for anybody, really.  And it's beautiful.  For us, Pincher Creek has so much to offer, it was an easy decision for us."

Jeff Brockmann

According to Pincher Creek Associate Clinic Executive Director Jeff Brockmann  "We expect to expose this group, who is relatively young in medical studies, to what they could experience in a typical day in rural Alberta."

"This is a staged scenario, but it is typical.  You could see this on a weekday, or a weekend, or midnight," continued Brockmann.  "We want to work together."

Brockmann said he was appreciative of all the staff and agencies that came together to help make the day possible.  He mentioned EMS, Fire and Rescue, and St. Michael's Drama Club as all being integral to the success of the day. He enthused that this was the first of these exercises that included spouses on the trip.  "We want to show them what this community is like, to introduce them to some non-medical professionals who live and work in Pincher Creek and the area."

According to information taken from a Government of Canada statistical website "Physicians are not evenly distributed throughout Canada.  This “unevenness” is particularly serious in rural and remote areas.  The problem also appears to be worsening:  in 1991, 14.9% of Canada’s physicians practised in rural areas; by 1996, this number had dropped to 9.8%.  Perhaps more important, this decline in rural physicians has occurred at a greater rate than the decline in Canada’s rural population.  Furthermore, according to projections, the ratio of physicians per 1,000 population in rural areas is expected to decrease from 0.79 in 1999 to 0.53 by 2021."

Jasmine and Matt Roberts with daughter Simone

The stories about why these students chose the medical field for a career and why they and their families are considering a rural lifestyle would take pages to write.  One such story is that of Matt and Jasmine Roberts who came with their three month old daughter Simone.  Matt is a medical student at the University of Calgary, and both expressed that they would like their family to be raised in a rural setting and lifestyle.  "It's were we want to be, rather than a bustling city.  Thank you to everybody that came out today.  This took so many volunteers and people helping to make this possible.  We are very grateful to be able to see it."

Related links/sources:
Rural Physician Action Plan
Rural Canada: Access to Healthcare

Here to help: Emergency services in Pincher Creek

The 911 emergency telephone system is in place in Pincher Creek to assist citizens with POLICE, MEDICAL or FIRE emergencies.

Do NOT hesitate to dial 911 in case of emergency, or contact the facilities listed below:

The RCMP Pincher Creek detachment is located at 1369 Hunter Street.
Complaint line: 403-627-6000, Admin: 403-627-6010

Pincher Creek Emergency Services has been serving and protecting the community for over 100 years. They offer advanced fire and ambulance services to those in need from three locations in the area. Pincher Creek Station has 31 members, Lundbreck Station has 6 members, and Beaver Mines Station has 5 members.  Combined, these stations operate three ambulances, 6 fire engines, a command truck, a rescue vehicle, and a water tender truck.
For non-Emergencies call 403-627-5333, email info@pincherfire.com, or visit www.pincherfire.com.

Community Policing: to reach Pincher Creek's Bylaw Officer phone Town Hall at 403-627-3156

The Pincher Creek Emergency Management Agency is a member of the Search and Rescue Association of Alberta, and is responsible for ground and inland emergency searches.
Contact Brett Wuth 403-627-2460 or email wuth@acm.org

The Pincher Creek Women's Emergency Shelter Association provides emergency shelter to women with and without children.
Crisis Phone: 1-888-354-4868
Toll Free Number: 1-888-354-4868
Business Phone: 403-627-2114
Email: pcwesa@telusplanet.net

Multiple events held for Emergency Preparedness Week 2013

Some of our area's First Responders at May 10 event
C. Davis photo

Chris Davis,  Pincher Creek Voice 
Interviews with Brett Wuth and Robert Frost conducted by Junior Journalists

Pincher Creek and area's various emergency organizations combined forces May 5 to 11 for Emergency Preparedness Week, a national event, which locally featured various events designed to inform the public and prepare the public.

Rope Rescue demonstration

On May 4 there was a Joint Rescue Team demonstration of rope rescue techniques at the Hewetson Avenue bridge, which was well attended by curious citizens and Junior Journalists participating in the Chamber of Commerce Kids Discovery Day event.  The demonstration was led by Brett Wuth of Pincher Creek Search and Rescue.

Fire weather advisory issued for central and southern Alberta

• Fire Prevention Notice Issued for MD of Pincher Creek No. 9
• Fire Hazards at extreme levels in central and southern Alberta 
• Pincher Creek responds to fence post on fire
• Burning Permits cancelled with the Forest Protection Area of Alberta
• Prescribed fires in Waterton Lakes National Park have been cancelled

Dry conditions and expected winds between 70 and 80 kilometres per hour will push the fire hazard to extreme levels today and tomorrow. Albertans are advised to take extreme caution.

A Fire Prevention Notice was issued on May 6, 2013 for the MD of Pincher Creek No. 9 and is still in effect.  Fuel conditions are modifying with the green grass coming.  In this area there is still a lot of old cured grass so the conditions still require caution.  Warm, dry, windy conditions make for dangerous burning conditions. Please be careful and call 911 immediately if you see a fire.

If a wildfire does occur, especially in grassy areas, conditions may cause uncontrollable spread, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the wildfire. Fire weather advisories are only issued when the likelihood of uncontrolled wildfires is high.

All burning permits within the Forest Protection Area of Alberta have been cancelled and no new permits will be issued. All burning outside of campfires should be extinguished.  For a map of the Forest Protection Area click here.

Wildfires that burn during this time of year are predominantly human-caused and are 100 per cent preventable. Many areas across the province have fire bans or fire advisories in effect.

Current wildfire conditions are updated regularly by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (click here).

Pincher Creek Emergency Services responded to a small fire yesterday May 11 at around 2:00 pm.  A fence post near the Co-op Bulk Fuel station was ablaze, cause undetermined.  Engine 11 and Engine 43 responded but Engine 11 stood down, as the fire was extinguished within 5 minutes.

Parks Canada will not be carrying out previously planned prescribed fires in the “Y-Camp” or other Burn Units in Waterton Lakes National Park this spring.

How technology can help you in emergencies

Is your family prepared?

Being able to communicate with family, friends and first responders during an emergency is critical. However, everyday communication devices may not work during an emergency.

If you have a landline, keep at least one corded phone in your home. Cordless phones rely on electricity and will not work during a power outage. It's also a good idea to keep extra batteries or a charger for your mobile device in your emergency kit. Keep your contacts up to date on your mobile devices, andsave your 'safe meeting' location(s) on your phone's mapping application.

Public Safety Canada also offers these tips for staying in touch and reducing network congestion in an emergency:

Include pets in your household emergency plans

Every family needs an emergency plan – and that includes the steps required to take care of the furry and feathered members of your family.

In case of an evacuation, pets may not be allowed in public shelters or hotels, so it's a good idea to prepare an alternative if they can't go with you. Options include taking them to the home of a relative or friend, or in advance, identifying pet-friendly hotels or boarding facilities near you. The following tips from Public Safety Canada will help you keep pets safe:

Make an Emergency plan

Canadians are encouraged to learn about the emergencies that can happen where they live and to plan for situations that are likely to occur. You should know, for example, if your region susceptible to flooding.

Since we all have a role to play in personal preparedness, it's up to all of us to take steps now to prepare for the unexpected and make our communities safer and more resilient.

Here are some steps you can take this week to get started:

Teach your kids emergency lessons

Emergency Preparedness Week (May 5-11) is the perfect time to make sure your child knows what to do in crisis or disaster. Here are some tips for you and your family from Public Safety Canada:

New Emergency 911 Act passes third reading

New supports are on the way for 911 call centres now that Bill 15, the Emergency 911 Act, has passed third reading in the Alberta Legislature.

The act includes a new reliable source of funding for Alberta’s 911 call centers that will be implemented later in 2013, with funding flowing to 911 call centres in 2014.

Before the Emergency 911 Act is proclaimed into law, the government will take the following steps:

Pincher Creek Emergency Services responds to quad accident and douses ambulance fire

Young man tries out the hose during Kids Discovery Day

• Emergency Services participates in Kids Discovery Day
• This is Emergency Preparedness Week
• False alarm in Cowley
• Quad accident in Beaver Mines
• Ambulance catches fire