GFD Annual Supper & Silent Auction

This year was Phase Two for the Jaws of Life Project, and over 300 people attended. It was a lot of work but well worth the effort as the locals sure enjoyed the home cooked meal of roast beef, turkey, and all the trimmings, with many asking when the next supper will be held. Approx. $3,000 was raised at this year's event. Click here to view more pictures.

Last year over $20,000 was raised, with another $25,000 needed this year to complete the project.

Workplace Hazardorus Materials Information System Course

A WHMIS course was held at the Granum Fire Hall on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 at 7:00pm. Wayne Burham was the instructor for the evening.

Wayne is the shop foreman for the M.D. of Willow Creek and he gives this instuction to all M.D. employees. We are one of six fire deptartments in the M.D. of Willow Creek.

Fire fighters do come in contact with very corrosive, flammable, and toxic substances while responding to calls in our area. Safety in our department is paramount for our firefighters as well as the general public. This course is designed to inform employees in the use and handling of products that they would use or encounter while on the job or responding to emergency situations. A test was written by all the members present and a certificate issued to those who passed the test.

Click here to view pictures.

Fire Extinguisher Day 2004

Fire Extinguisher Day was held May 1 at the Granum Fire Station from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pop and BBQ burgers were served. Kevan Jess, Fire Services Advisor, brought the safety doll house, and Doug Brown from Kost Fire Safety was on hand to re-supply our fire extinguishers. A fire extinguishing demonstration and a vehicle extrication demonstration were also held. Click here to view more images.

Doll Safety House 2004

On June 24 the G.F.D. showed the Doll Safety House at the Granum School.

BELOW: Kevan Jess, fire services advisor, explains to the class all about the hazards in the fire safety house.

Garden Shed Raffle Raises over $2,000 for Jaws of Life project

Gospel Jamboree 2004

The G.F.D. was in charge of parking for the Gospel Jamboree held under the big tent July 23-25. The G.F.D. also had staff available for any medical emergency. The Sunday morning service had 1200 people in attendance.

Jaws of Life Project Completed!
Press conference and demonstration held September 29, 2004.

The G.F.D raised $50,000 in total to complete the Jaws of Life project. In addition to the many individual donations, the following larger contributions were received:

Phase 1: $15,000 Community Initiatives Program grant, Alberta Government; $3,700 Claresholm Lions Club; $3,000 profit from Annual Supper; $1,000 Stavely Elks Lodge.

Phase 2: $11,000 Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) grant, Canadian Government; $7,000 Burlington Resources; $5,300 Granum Curling Club; $2,600 Granum School Reunion committee; $2,000 G.F.D. Garden Shed Raffle; $1,000 Granum Drop-in Centre; $350 Halloween committee.

	ABOVE RIGHT: Patsy Vik, Community Affairs Coordinator for Burlington Resources Canada, demonstrates the spreader that is one component of the Jaws of Life. LEFT: James Dautremont, Fire Chief of the Granum Fire Depart ment, demonstrats how a lifting jack is used in a vechile extrication. BELOW LEFT: Representatives from Burlington Resourses Canada, Les Walker, Patsy Vik and Todd Torrens, present Granum Fire Chief James Dautremont a cheque for $7,000.00 to help complete phase 2 of the Jaws of Life project. BELOW RIGHT: On behalf of the Community Initiatives Program Honourable David Coutts, Minister of Government Services, presents a cheque to the Granum Fire Department.

Kitchen Fire - October 2, 2004

This fire was a close call, but had a good ending as there was no loss of life. The home owner used a German made fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire before the G.F.D. arrived.

Only the kitchen was severely damaged.	The fire originated with a toaster oven.
The ceiling tiles were melted by the extreme heat.	A German made fire extinguisher did the job.

Fire Prevention Week October 3-9, 2004

This year's theme was "Test your smoke alarms." Everyone was encouraged to participate in this year's Fire Prevention Week by installing, testing and/or maintaining smoke alarms.

Did you know ... in Alberta smoke alarms are required by law in all residential properties?

On Oct. 6 the Granum School kindergarten class visited the fire station.

ABOVE: Fire Chief Dautremont shows the children how a fireman goes into a building to perform a rescue. RIGHT: Fire Chief Dautremont tests a smoke detector. BELOW Left to right: Wayne Johnson, Member Relations UFA Co-op head office Calgary; Travis Coleman, G.F.D. member; Chief Dautremont; Randy Campbell, Manager Claresholm UFA Co-op store.

On Oct. 13 the G.F.D. went door-to-door checking smoke alarms. Thank you to the Claresholm UFA Co-op Store for donating the batteries this year. Over 50 batteries were replaced free of charge. The G.F.D. also had smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers for sale. On Oct. 15 Safety Codes Officer, Don Douglas, visited the Granum Colony school in the morning and presented a safety program to the children. The children's safety books were picked up and prizes handed out to the winning students.

Knowing what to do in a emergency can save lives. For more info check the Fire Commissioner's Office online.

2004 "Fire Chief for a Day" Winner

On Thursday, October 28, Safety Codes Officer, Don Douglas, presented a Sparky shirt and the Junior Fire Chief Award to seven year old Austin Wever of Granum.

Austin entered the Macdonalds Restaurants contest "Fire Chief for a Day." His entry was selected by the Granum Fire Department. He did a great job on his smoke alarm quiz.

Austin's entry will represent our area for a chance to win a trip for 4 people to Disneyland.

RIGHT: A very happy Austin Wever wearing his "Fire Chief for a Day" attire.

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