The Town of Bashaw council approved guidelines for a wildland fire truck to operate outside of the municipality. The resolution was made at the June 18 regular meeting of council.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Theresa Fuller presented councillors with the draft guidelines titled “standard operating procedures for deployment of Camrose County Type 6 wildland fire engine administered by Town of Bashaw Fire Department.”

It was noted that the proposal by the fire department to have this vehicle with firefighters available for service outside Bashaw or County of Camrose aligns with the 2024 Alberta Wildland Urban Interface guidelines; town council had been approached in the past by the local fire department for this project.

It was noted while the County of Camrose owns this vehicle the Town of Bashaw is responsible for its administrative oversight.

Readers should note “wildland” is generally accepted to mean rural or off-road firefighting, such as occurs in farm fields, forest, unbroken pasture or other uninhabited areas but can also apply to places such as a campground or residential subdivision in a largely rural area.

It was noted in the proposed guidelines that the fire chief has provided written approval to the CAO that the vehicle’s engine has passed a mechanical check before deployment and crew meets Alberta-certified wildland training standards, among other responsibilities.

The guidelines also noted that the vehicle is deployed under Bashaw Fire Department protocols and leadership unless circumstances dictate otherwise, citing examples like mutual aid or a provincial incident.

The guidelines also included a number of safety requirements such as maintaining active communications, full wildland gear being worn and observing certain work/rest cycles.

Under “coordination protocols” it was noted the County of Camrose remains responsible for insurance and major mechanical repairs as well as long-term capital replacement. Bashaw Fire Department oversees day to day deployment, maintenance and staffing.

Councillors discussed an issue which had been mentioned at previous council meetings: that the wildland vehicle, when leaving town, not cause Bashaw firefighting capabilities to be less than necessary. It was noted that the wildland guidelines wouldn’t cause local firefighting to be affected while it was also stated that nearby communities could also be called for help.

Councillors unanimously approved the wildland unit operating guidelines.

Photo Source: Fire truck display in Bashaw, Alberta. Rural Alberta Report/S.Salkeld