While Fire Chief Richard Legge of the re-established Flat Bay/St. Teresa Fire Department is thankful they haven’t had any calls lately, he said his firefighters are good to go.
With 14 volunteers and nine of them already certified through training with the St. George’s Fire Department they are at the ready if a call is received.
The training to date has been mostly relating to defensive firefighting but six of their members are attending Newfoundland and Labrador Fire and Emergency Services training being held in Gander in May involving breathing apparatus.
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Community support helps re-establish Flat Bay Fire Department
When completed that should give them the ability to enter a burning building if the conditions are deemed OK.
“We’re always training, there’s no end to it. Volunteers are the key to this fire department, giving up a lot of their free time and working hard at it. I’m really proud of them,” Legge said.
There was a series of structural fires in the Flat Bay area during the fall of 2015, which resulted in the fire department serving Flat Bay East and West and St. Teresa re-establishing early in 2016.
Legge said the fire department has been getting lots of support from the whole community, including the Flat Bay West water committee and the Flat Bay East Local Service District.
Currently their fire truck, which was donated to them by the Town of Kippens, is located in a Quonset hut in Flat Bay East that used to be a storage building.
He said the building is insulated, has an electric furnace and is well lit, so everything is good in that respect.
Firefighters have been familiarizing themselves on the fire truck from operation of the pumps to using the hoses and rerolling them to a number of other procedures.
In addition to the fire truck, they have received support in equipment from the St. George’s Fire Department, Corner Brook Fire Department, Stephenville Fire Department and as far away as the Fort McMurray Fire Department in Alberta.
Legge really appreciates all the support they received to get on the go and like most firefighters hopes not to be called upon but are ready if they are.
