Alix village council heard that their local fire department is very heavily involved in medical first response in and around the community. The report was made at the Nov. 6 regular meeting of council
Councillors heard a detailed update on local and regional fire services from Lacombe County Manager of Fire and Emergency Services Dave Bain; the Alix department is part of that regional group.
Bain began by noting he’s been in his position at Lacombe County for six months.
“It’s gone by really fast,” he said.
Bain observed that by looking at statistics year-to-date for the village, the numbers of incidents aren't high except for one area: medical first response. Within the village the fire department responded to 48 medical first response calls; Bain added that the nearby Hamlet of Mirror saw 38 medical first response occurrences.
Mayor Tim Besuijen noted the similarity between Alix and Mirror medical calls. “That’s just about the same as Alix,” pondered the mayor. Bain responded that some medical first response calls are repeat occurrences; that is, multiple responses are made to the same patient.
He further noted there have been two structure fires in Alix and no motor vehicle collisions (MVC) year-to-date in Alix in 2024, but there have been 12 in Lacombe County so far.
He observed there has been one vehicle fire in Alix, a category which also includes farm equipment.
Bain stated there have been seven alarm calls so far; two were deemed “false” while five had a cause of one kind or another.
The presentation shifted over to budget considerations.
Bain noted Lacombe County is currently waiting for a new rapid response unit which can also be called a “brush truck.” He noted he may tweak some naming conventions within the department, as when time is short exact terminology is needed to ensure the proper vehicle or equipment is sent to specific occurrences.
Within the proposed budget Bain noted he’s proposing $7,500 for firefighter training, pointing out that increased recruitment means increased training for new firefighters.
He is also tweaking the way deputy chiefs are handled. As Bain observed that many deputy chiefs do a lot of operations work, including day-to-day duties, he feels their pay should reflect that.
He also described efforts to have member departments work together when purchasing equipment, as volume discounts can save a lot of money when it comes to emergency equipment.
Bain further updated councillors on the regional department’s switch to the so-called “AFFRCS” radio system, the Alberta First Responders Radio Communications system. Readers should note this system is being adopted across the province as a way to eliminate “dead spots” in radio communication.
He stated equipment should be delivered by the end of 2024 with training planned afterwards.
Bain pointed out that the current system of repeaters, which requires towers on certain property, may no longer be needed. There are questions surrounding what to do with towers that are in fact no longer needed.
During discussion Bain pointed out Lacombe County and partner municipalities are looking ahead with disaster planning. A tabletop exercise is scheduled this month, with a full “mock disaster” scheduled to be held one year from now.
It was noted Alix has two major highways and two major rail lines surrounding it, plus a recreational lake that could all play a role in possible emergencies.
Councillors also discussed the good reputation the Alix Fire Department has in the community. “We’re pretty proud of our fire department,” said Coun. Barb Gilliat.
Bain responded the Alix Fire Department’s dedication to medical first response is, “...particularly impressive.”
The local ambulance was also briefly discussed. Mayor Besuijen noted there’s always talk going around the village that Alix is going to lose its ambulance service.
Bain responded he doesn’t want to see that happen.
“In fact, I want to see it be successful on its own,” added Bain.
