No break for P.E.I.'s first responders and other 'heroes' days after storm

Firefighters and other first responders were extra busy during post-tropical storm Fiona, and three days later, the calls are still coming in steadily.

The Charlottetown Fire Department has responded to about 140 calls since the storm hit early Saturday morning and knocked out power to about 95 per cent of P.E.I.

Deputy chief Tim Mamye said both Charlottetown stations have been fully staffed since last Friday. Firefighters have responded to full structure fires, kitchen fires, carbon monoxide incidents and more.

"We prioritize obviously life over property so if the calls are coming in, in life-saving incidents, we make sure we do our best to get there."

Downed trees and other debris posed challenges to accessing some sites, he said.

"When we have everybody in the station, we respond in the trucks, the crew is together, and everybody stays safe on response, and it was a very slow response in some areas simply because you couldn't get there,"

Jason Woodbury, the president of the paramedics union, said first responders have been unsure what to expect when they arrive on scene.

"The unpredictability of what we get to see when we get into the emergency, is what we encountered while we responded to the emergency, and with Hurricane Fiona, with the intensity of the storm, it made it extremely challenging to get to the locations." 

There's heroes beyond traditional first responders such as police and fire and ambulance attendants.— Charlottetown Police Chief Brad MacConnell

Police were also getting a lot of calls, everything from building damage to well-being checks on people who live alone.

"I've been in public safety and first response for over three decades and I can tell you I've never seen a response like we've seen this weekend," said Charlottetown Police Chief Brad MacConnell.

"There's heroes beyond traditional first responders such as police and fire and ambulance attendants. We're seeing heroes in our public works departments and other agencies out there, putting themselves in harm's way and going above and beyond. As a police chief and a resident, I'm very proud of that."

And now that power is slowly being returned to some homes on P.E.I., it's posing another fire concern.

Anson Grant, chief of the North River Fire Department, said during the height of the storm they were busy responding to utility pole fires. They also rescued a family of 10 after their roof blew off.

But he said now there are new challenges.

"We're starting to run into more calls now with generators and arcing power lines and stuff like that as power is slowly being restored. There's still hundreds of trees on the lines that are being energized and they're sparking and firing up and stuff."

Mamye said it's important to keep generators and barbecues far away from your house, and to never use them indoors, not just to prevent fires but to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

"With generators, the main concern there is keep them away from your house or building, whatever you're using it around. That means no doorways, no windows open."