ESTEVAN - Fire sirens could have been heard on a couple of occasions in Estevan last week.
After a stretch of numerous emergencies in four days earlier this month, the Estevan Fire Rescue Service members had a bit of a break with only three fire alarms going off in the city in seven days.
The first call for service came in on May 9 at about 3 p.m. A fire alarm went off at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course. However, seconds later, the fire station received a call from the facility stating that contractors on site were doing some work, which triggered the alarm. No response was mounted for the call.
On May 10 at about 7 p.m., a residential fire alarm went off in northwest Estevan.
"Crews arrived on scene to find that the homeowner actually just got out of the shower and the steam mimicked some smoke there, which set off the alarm. So there was no emergency occurring at this particular location," said Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser.
"Just a reminder, please ensure that smoke detection and heat detection devices are located in the proper spots, as smoke can be mimicked by steam. If they're too close to the kitchen and or cooking areas, they can get quite a few nuisance alarms as well."
On May 13 at about 2 p.m., fire crews responded to another fire alarm that went off in a commercial building in the east-central area of the city. There was no smoke or flame visible from outside, so firefighters entered the building to find contractors were drilling through the drywall, and the dust mimicked smoke and triggered the alarm.
"A reminder to the construction crews or anybody that's doing any work around any fire detection systems, to cover up detection heads while doing the work and then pick the covers off immediately after to avoid any nuisance alarms from occurring," Feser said.
