*First Due Fire*

Today, just before 16:00, while members were cleaning up from our fire department awards dinner the night prior (thank you to Harmony and Evans City for covering for us), Station 19, along with automatic aid from the Southern BC SAFER Group, quality EMS were alerted for a shed fire endangering a structure on Main Street in Callery Borough.

Upon Engine (W3) and Tanker (W1) going en route, a working fire was evident from the station. Engine 19 arrived less than two minutes from dispatch, confirming a working fire. Crews made access from an adjacent property through a fence for fire attack. Engine 19 had water on the fire 30 seconds after arrival.

Crews from 19, 42, and 20 worked on suppression and overhaul efforts. Units 21 and 22 stood by in the area of Franklin and Callery Road to cover the area. Chief 19-2 had Main Street Command. Squad and Command 19 later responded with an additional four firefighters to assist.

The cause of this fire was from a dust collector on the back of an outbuilding utilized as a wood shop that caught fire.

We are very thankful for our mutual aid companies and all the help they provide us with. Mutual aid is very common and can sometimes be difficult for taxpayers to understand and support, so we hope this helps.

What does “mutual aid” in the fire service mean, and how does it work?

Mutual aid is when an organization or department responds into an area that is not their primary coverage area to provide assistance. This assistance can be needed on many different kinds of calls and is most evident during structure fires. With volunteer numbers dropping in most areas, departments are being requested to respond farther away for mutual aid than they ever have before.

Another question frequently asked by taxpayers is, “Are they going to pay for our trucks going to help?” No — it is very common for a neighboring municipality to not provide funds to a mutual aid company. This is usually viewed as a “we help you, you help us” mentality.