After enduring one of the busiest periods in its existence, life is gradually returning to normal for the members of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service.
The members of the local fire department were among the many unsung heroes during the height of the flood situation in June, carrying out a variety of tasks from ferrying City employees to the water treatment plant to helping with the evacuation of Willow Parks Greens, jobs that were in addition to their usual duties as firefighters.
Fire Chief Ron Tocker said his crew deserves a great deal of credit for their work over that 12 to 13-day period in June noting there were some days where the department was active for as many as 18 hours.
"In my opinion, the biggest thing of the whole deal is the amount of time these guys put in," said Tocker. "The things they did through the weather, in the middle of storms it was endless the amount of things these guys did."
Tocker was also quick to praise the various local businesses that employ the volunteer members of the department for allowing them to focus on the flood when things were at their worst.
"Halfway through the (flood situation) Mayor St. Onge phoned the employers to thank them for allowing their guys the time off work and requesting further assistance as needed. That was huge. None of the employers said no and that was outstanding that they would donate their employees' time."
One of the first, in what turned out to be a long list of jobs for the department, was the June 19 evacuation of the more than 400 residents of Willow Park Greens.
With the outflows out of the Rafferty and Boundary Dam reservoirs continuing to rise after the massive storm that hit the area in mid-June, the local Emergency Measures Committee was eventually forced to evacuate the park. The local firefighters as well as members of the Estevan Police Service handled the evacuation process that Tocker noted went very well.
"The guys did a bang-up job."
Following the evacuation of Willow Park Greens, the department shifted their focus to the City's water treatment plant, which was a major area of concern during the ordeal as flood waters cut off all roads into the plant and employees had to be transported to and from the facility in boats manned by the firefighters. They also assisted the Office of the Fire Commissioner in transporting chemical to the plant via helicopter and boated in various supplies as needed.
"Without the employees there we have no water," Tocker said. "That was a huge issue for the City since the plant was just an island."
Although they were able to avoid disaster, Tocker admitted when the release volume rose to its peak of 770 cubic metres per second there was concern they might lose the plant.
"None of the river water got into the plant, so we weren't concerned with boiling water or health issues. We were able to keep that plant working. Whatever they needed we brought to them."
In looking back at the hectic period, deputy Fire Chief Dale Feser noted another moment that stood out was when the department was called on to rescue two men who made the foolhardy decision to take a canoe into the fast-flowing Souris River and soon found themselves in the water.
Feser noted that a handful of fire fighters were at the river testing out their new Zodiac rescue boat June 21 when a call came into 911 that the two men were in need of help in the area near the former Feathertick Inn.
"It was just a stroke of luck that we happened to be right in that area," said Feser who noted neither man was wearing a lifejacket. "Both were caught up by the current. One was able to grab on to a fencepost and the other grabbed a bunch of trees and hung on. Both were very appreciative that we were there because the one guy didn't know how to swim too well.
"We were able to use the Zodiac and go right up tight and the guys pulled them into the boat."
Feser added the department was also thrust into action after receiving a call that three local children were floating on the river with an inflatable mattress. As it turned out the three children had already returned to their homes by the time the fire fighters arrived, but they remained on scene until it was confirmed they were out of danger. Feser said he spoke with all three about the dangers of flood waters and asked them to warn their friends as well.
The flood also forced the department to help out in other areas such as assisting both SaskEnergy and SaskPower with infrastructure issues they had.
In fact it was that aspect of everyone banding together to help out during the flood that stood out for both Tocker and Feser.
Tocker said all of the local emergency services personnel did an amazing job of working together for the common good. He added a number of local businesses and individuals also stepped up to supply any equipment that was needed during the crisis.
"We had a whole fire hall full of stuff that people were lending us," said Tocker who made special mention of Enbridge Pipelines for lending the services of their emergency response team and boats during the period before the department received its Zodiac rescue boat.
"We had guys coming in and offering their assistance. How great is that for these guys to say 'I can help.' But everything worked very well. I'm sure there are things, when we sit down and discuss the whole thing, that we could probably do a little better and we can work on those but overall it went fantastic."
