On Saturday, a six-person team of Bonnyville Fire Department members competed at the Alberta Regional Fire Extrication Challenge. The event provided the opportunity for family members and the public to see what it is that our fire departments do on a regular basis.
Bonnyville came in second out of eight teams in the unlimited pit category, a great accomplishment considering the seriousness of the task at hand: the scenario involved a mini van on top of a SUV. Congratulations to the Bonnyville team for a job well done.
The fire department is a volunteer organization - where members are on call 24/7, and put their lives on the line consistently and valiantly. Saturday's Extrication Challenge provided a taste of what being a firefighter is like. While there were no flames to extinguish, eight teams from around the province had to deal with the difficult situations most of us would never want to experience in real life.
One scenario that the Cold Lake Fire Department attempted to solve involved an overturned boat on top of a truck, with the nose of the boat through the windshield of a car parked nose-to-nose with the truck. The six-person team had to cut the roof off the car in order to free the victim. Mere moments before the roof came off, the 20-minute time limit ran out, an important reminder of the real world situations firefighters face regularly.
One Cold Lake Fire-Rescue volunteer explained that the 20 minutes extrication time limit reflected the rule of thumb that a person has the best chance of surviving an accident if transported to a hospital within an hour.
Cold Lake Fire-Rescue and Alberta Vehicle Extrication Association co-hosted the event, which from the reactions of those in attendance throughout the day and those who participated, was a great success. Not only did firefighters get to do some on the spot training and showcase their skills in a competitive but fun atmosphere, but the public got to see the hard work and lifesaving skills of our vital and underappreciated heroes in the community.
For photos from the Extrication Challenge, check out our latest gallery on our website: www.bonnyvillenouvelle.ca. For full coverage, see next week's Nouvelle.
