(File photo/RM of Barrier Valley)

By Cam Lee

Archerwill fire

Process to rebuild and re-equip continues after Archerwill Fire Hall blaze

May 1, 2024 | 12:02 PM

Archerwill continues to be without a fire hall after a blaze at the facility earlier this year.

The village and the Rural Municipality (RM) of Barrier Valley co-own the fire department, and RM Reeve Wayne Black told northeastNOW the origin of the fire at the hall Feb. 17 is undetermined.

The fire started late in the afternoon, and no one was injured.

“The fire was contained to the inside of the building so a lot of damage was done before there (were) any visible signs of there being a fire at all,” Black explained.

A maintenance person for the village was alerted to the fire when he ran out of water. The water loss was traced to the fire hall, where a water line had come apart and was spraying water inside the building. Black said the spraying water may have stopped the damage from being more severe, but it also drained all the cisterns.

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A fire truck and a water truck were written off by their insurance companies due to smoke and heat damage, while a three-quarter-ton truck with a 300-gallon tank that was the first response truck was destroyed.

Black said the fire equipment was going to be cleaned, but the insurance companies said much of it was nearing end-of-life, and it made more sense to replace it all.

The building sustained significant fire damage; however, it will be rebuilt.

Black said the insurance companies have been great to deal with, but it will take some time before they’re up and running again.

Renovations to the building will start in June, and according to Black they won’t have a facility for at least six weeks after that. Light-duty equipment for firefighters should arrive in a few weeks, while the full fire suits won’t arrive for about four-to-six weeks.

“Our guys can’t respond to fires without the appropriate equipment,” said Black. “We absolutely will not send our guys out until they are properly equipped.” Black added building fires need more equipment than does a grassland fire.

The Archerwill Fire Department has a mutual aid agreement with the Rose Valley and Tisdale fire departments, and Black said those two departments are teaming up to help. Rose Valley is looking after the southern part of the municipality, while Tisdale’s department is taking care of the northern section.

“We’re relying on them to provide the service that we may require,” Black said.

He credits Fire Chief Steven Christianson and the people that work with him in kickstarting the process to rebuild and re-equip the department.

A full fire ban is in place for the RM of Barrier Valley due to the Archerwill Fire Department’s inability to respond.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @northeastNOW_SK