Firefighters face numerous challenges out in the field, including extreme cold weather conditions.
The extreme frigid cold weather hitting the Prairies this week impacts those who work outdoors, especially firefighters, who are battling flames and the cold simultaneously.
Volunteer firefighter Michael Lapchuk has been with the Balgonie department for 14 years. Lapchuk said there are preparations they take when going out to fight fires in extreme cold.
“With the equipment, water doesn’t like cold, cold metal doesn’t like water. So, once we get water moving, you have to keep it moving. If you close a hose line, it’ll freeze solid in -30s and you can’t use that line anymore,” he said.
“Our gear is fairly well insulated to keep us cool when it’s hot outside, so it actually does keep us a little bit warm when it’s cold outside. But we layer up (and) we cycle through gloves as our gloves get cold or wet or frozen.”
On the evening of Jan. 12, 2024, Balgonie fire crew responded to a garage fire which took firefighters eight hours to extinguish. The next morning, fire crews responded to a fire at the Greenall High School in Balgonie, where the school’s construction and carpentry labs were damaged in the fire.
“It’s a small town. I know the people whose house it was. I went to school with their daughter. So, I’m pulling up and we see them standing outside. I’m thinking, ‘Okay, well, we got to do this’,” he said. “It (was) bloody cold out. It was -53 with the wind chill.”
By day, Lapchuk works in IT with the Regina Police Service, but outside work hours, he gives his time to volunteer for the Balgonie Fire Department, a family affair.
“There’s myself, my two brothers, my mom and dad are all in the department,” he said. “In the department, a lot of the family stuff is kind of set aside.”
Lapchuk said volunteer departments everywhere can’t survive without the support from the community. His mother, Brenda attests to that statement.
“We have incredible community support … they know that they can rely on us,” said Brenda, who is the deputy chief. “After we had dealt with the school fire, a resident touched base with us and said, ‘Hey, I’m making a big pot of chili. I should have it there in an hour with buns.’ When you’re dealing with a lot of rural people, this is the type of attitude you get.”
Leah McMillan started off as a junior firefighter, but when she turned 18, she was able to go out on any calls.
“I (knew) a few people on the fire department who were already in it … I came to one of the meetings, and they just sort of showed me around the place,” she said. “Since then, I’ve just loved being on the department.”
Some of the challenges she endured in the field is learning to adjust to the extreme cold temperatures.
“A little while after my toes start to get really cold, and my fingers start to get really cold,” said McMillan. “Your gloves would freeze in that exact position that you were holding (the hose) … one of the biggest things, is you had you had to come back so often to the truck to warm up, otherwise your fingers, you couldn’t feel them.”
Although McMillan and the Lapchuks know the risks of this profession that doesn’t stop them from doing what they love doing.
“It’s just like a second family and it’s totally worth it,” said McMillan.
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