GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY EMERGENCY SERVICES

We’re answering more “Frequently Asked Questions” we receive about Redwood Meadows Emergency Services when we’re out and about in the community.

How are RMES members trained?

RMES members join the team as “probationary” members (big shout out to the folks that wear black helmets!). Probationary members are closely supervised on calls until they attain a certain number of skill sign offs which can take up to a year to complete. Once members demonstrate the slate of industry standard skills typical for firefighters, emergency medical responders and rescue technicians, they receive a yellow helmet and are no longer under close supervision. Through call attendance, training and additional education, our firefighters can move up the ranks from a Class 5 firefighter to Class 1 firefighter, each promotion reflects increased skill proficiency and leadership demonstrated.

All of the team receives annual first aid and Basic Life Support training and attends monthly medical in-services. Most of the team have pursued additional medical training at their own expense to achieve medical certifications such as: Fire Medical Responder, Emergency Medical Response, Primary Care Paramedic or Advance Care Paramedic. We also have a nurse on staff. This high level of medical training across our membership often saves lives before an ambulance even arrives.

How do RMES members know when there’s a call?

Even though you won’t see cars parked at the hall all the time, RMES members are ready to respond to emergency calls at all times. RMES members carry radios that alert to emergencies in the response area, as well as apps on their cell phones. When an emergency call comes in, an alert is pushed to member radios and phones. Members signal their intention by radio and/or app to head to the hall to assemble a crew and head to the emergency. As soon as the trucks roll out of the bays, members let Dispatch know they’re on route so our dedicated Dispatchers can coordinate information with partners, sometimes the caller and keep track of the crew for safety purposes.

What happens on weekend duty shifts?

Every weekend duty shift begins with crews doing a Pre-Trip Inspection on the 4 big trucks including air brake checks, fluid checks, light checks and tire checks. Around attending calls that come in, duty crews are responsible for inventorying one of the big trucks every shift to ensure tools are in good working order (and where they belong), inventory is restocked and breathing apparatus are working. Part of the hall is focused on each duty shift for a deep clean, paperwork is completed, Fire Smart assessments are booked, community correspondence response and during leftover time, training may take place.

Until next month, stay safe!

Once again RMES will be providing safe sites during this years Halloween in Redwood Meadows.

Fire trucks will be parked in strategical locations throughout Redwood Meadows from approximately 5:45pm till approximately 8:00pm (or later depending on the number of Halloweeners) where firefighters will hand out candy and where children (and adults) can go to when they are lost or when they are frightend.

We are happy to report the boil water advisory for the Manyhorses side of Redwood Meadows has been lifted.

Please see the notices below for information on how to flush and sanitize your home water lines.

Thank you for your patience while we worked to resolve this issue.

Please see this notice.

A Boil Water Advisory has been issued for the Manyhorses side of the Townsite of Redwood Meadows due to the potential microbial contamination that may cause illness. This advisory is the result of the pressure loss within the distribution system.

Please see the attached document about using water safely during a boil water advisory.

Please see this notice from the Townsite of Redwood Meadows.

Getting to know the Redwood Meadows Emergency Services team better!

Summer is always a busy time in the greater Bragg Creek area and this year was no different!  We thought we would take an opportunity to answer “commonly asked questions” we receive when we’re out and about.

Who’s in the big red trucks we see around town or going to emergencies?

RMES is staffed by approximately 30 volunteer firefighters that live in the community or neighbouring communities such as Calgary and Cochrane.

How many calls do you do annually?

In a typical year, we respond to almost 400 calls. At time of writing, we have responded to over 270 calls for assistance in 2022 – that’s more than 1 call a day!

About 50% of our calls are medical, in partnership with AHS EMS, about 25% are rescue (motor vehicle collisions, recreational accidents, etc.) and less than 20% are fires.

How do you choose who to hire to work at RMES?

We have a Recruitment Strategy that we follow to ensure we have a suitable number of members to respond to calls in a certain amount of time and properly staff the trucks responding.  It’s important that our department reflects the diverse community we serve, so we actively recruit to strengthen our team with members with different life/professional experience, culture, gender and orientations. Applicants must submit a detailed application and are invited to audit two of our training nights to get to know the team and the kind of work we do.  From there, they may be asked to participate in an interview with our Recruitment Team and may be offered employment with the team.

What kind of hours do the volunteer staff at RMES put in?

In 2021, RMES members invested over 14,000 volunteer hours in the community.  They’re on track to invest even more hours in 2022!

We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Each member is asked to attend a minimum of two Tuesday training nights each month (7:30pm – 10:30pm) plus additional external training opportunities, 2 weekend duty shifts a month (8am – 8pm), attend as many calls as possible as well as community events (Canada Day Parade, Bragg Creek Days Parade and Pancake Breakfast, Burn Camp, Halloween Haunted House, School visits, FireSmart Assessments, safety patrols etc).  Some members contribute additional volunteer hours to do Administration, Newsletter Submissions, Vehicle Maintenance, Recruitment, Radio Programming/Maintenance etc.

Do RMES members get paid?

RMES members receive a small honorarium annually based on hours of service (# of calls attended, # of hours spent in training/attending community events).  The greatest gift our members receive is the community’s thanks for a job well done.

Until next month, stay safe!