Northern Alberta Volunteer Fire Department Suspends Service

A northern Alberta volunteer fire department suspended service Thursday, saying it does not have the resources to cover Wandering River and a portion of one of the most dangerous highways in our province.

Acting fire chief Sheri Johnson says it’s not safe for the seven-member team to respond to emergencies in the northern Alberta hamlet and a 128 km section of Highway 63. Last year, more than half of the calls the team responded to were for collisions on the highway, which meant attending to scenes while other drivers drove past – at speeds of up to 120 kilometers an hour.

The team’s resources have been overwhelmed, with the volunteers on call 24 hours a day. While most crash scenes require five emergency personnel to respond effectively, the volunteer fire department is only ever able to send three – not enough to operate the Jaws of Life.

The Grasslands fire department is covering the area for now. Grasslands is 20 minutes south of Wandering River, and the response time for emergencies further north will increase.

With files from the Edmonton Journal.