This shed fire was one of 179 calls the Nipawin Fire Department responded to in 2024. (Nipawin Fire/Facebook)

By Cam Lee

Nipawin fire report

Nipawin Fire Department releases their 2024 annual report

Jan 16, 2025 | 1:40 PM

The Nipawin Fire Department (NFD) has issued their 2024 annual fire report.

The report was presented at the Town’s Operations Standing Committee meeting on Thursday.

The department responded to 179 calls during 2024, with alarm calls compiling 26 per cent of the incidents. That’s down one per cent from 2023.

There were 40 non-structure fires, including 11 grass or bush fires, 20 nuisance fires, and six vehicle fires.

Crews were called out to 25 motor vehicle collisions during the year, and there were 13 structure fires.

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The report stated security monitoring companies made up the vast majority of false alarm calls. Nineteen of the alarms were due to residents cooking and not being able to reach their phone, and 11 were because of dead batteries, power outages, or other malfunctions.

Breaking down their motor vehicle calls, 11 were due to inattention, three were from animal strikes, two were due to weather conditions, and speed and alcohol played a factor in some of the others.

There was one fatal structure fire in January of 2024, and no official cause was found for that fire.

Discarded needles continued to keep the department busy. Crews had to respond to 91 sharps calls last year and the report stated that if they were recorded as 9-1-1 events, they would compromise 34 per cent of the department’s total call volume.

The department’s report also said nuisance fires were the fastest growing category, as many residents burned garbage and other prohibited items. Abandoned fires and several deliberately set fires were also started throughout town.

With 21 calls, June was the busiest month of the year for calls to the NFD. Of note as well, 18 false alarms coincide with supper time, with 11 due to cooking.

The report said Nipawin’s 179 calls compared to Carrot River’s 112 (their busiest year on record), Humboldt’s 112, and Melfort’s 99. There were 255 calls in Estevan, 92 in Melville, and 301 in La Ronge, their busiest year on record.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com