Station 1700 On Call (english version)

Le SKED et le KED, équipements récemment achetés par les pompiers pour améliorer leurs opérations de sauvetage (Photo : Paulette Vanier)

 This summer your fire Department and First Responders have been very busy ! 5 of us are continuing our training from L’École nationale des pompiers du Québec with Firefighter II which consists of 120 hours and 6 new recruits have begun their firefighter I course which consists of 275 hours of classroom and station training. We continue to reunite four hours per month to practice our skills. We are also continuing our water rescue course that we began in the spring.

Here is a list of the calls we have responded to this past year :

First responder calls              41
FIRE                                        5
Car Accident                          13
False Alarms                           6
Water/Search and Rescue    10
Mutual Aid                             9
Other                                     2

Our busiest day was on July 26 where we responded to 5 calls ! two first responder, two water rescue and one fire.

We are working hard to organize a Lake Appreciation Day next spring. We will discuss water temperatures at different times of the year, water depths, and safety tips while enjoying our beautiful bay. More information will follow in a later issue.

Two reminders : Please verify your batteries and test your smoke detectors. A good rule of thumb is to do it when you change your clocks for daylight savings time (November 1st).

With all of this, we call on you for help. This past spring we were asked by Council and concerned citizens to try to improve our water rescue resources and equipment. We had begun a cold water rescue course earlier in the spring and we continue to practice it and have more scheduled classes this fall. We also bought equipment that we feel is integral to every water rescue, enclosed space and high angle rescue call we go out on. This equipment has been used several times this summer. One is a SKED, A Rescue System for Heights, Industrial, Confined Space  and Water the St Armand Municipal Rescue (flotation devices included) the one rescue stretcher for most evacuation and rescue tasks, and the other is a KED A KED (Kendrick Extrication Device), used in conjunction with a cervical collar to help immobilize a patient’s head, neck and spine in the normal anatomical position (neutral position). This position helps prevent additional injuries to these regions during vehicle and water extrication, and finally a rescue basket which is ideal for rescue operations in mines, at altitude and in water.

Because this equipment was not planned in the budget accepted by the municipal councils of St Armand and Pike River last December, our council has made the decision not to pay the $1995 bill and hold the firemen responsible. We raised $500 at our Corn Roast in the Park celebrating the 400th years since Samuel de Champlain found our shores and we have received an incredible$450 donation from a local family thanking us for our services !

Therefore we are asking for any donations possible to help us pay this bill. We assure you that any surplus of monies will go to further improve our services.

Please make all cheques payable to

“Pompiers de Philipsburg”

ATTN Grant Symington, Director
C.P. 301
Philipsburg QC J0J 1N0

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• Station 1700 On Call (version française)