TREENA MIELKE/Rimbey Review
Rimbey Volunteer Fire Department is not in the habit of starting fires, but on occasion they are called upon to do that very thing.
The department was kept busy July 19 completing a ‘controlled burn’ for a 90-year-old house on an acreage on the Parkland Beach Road.
The house was owned by Michael Hawkings, who lives in Birch Bay and owns the acreage the house was situated on. Hawkings said the house was not worth saving as it had no foundation and only a dirt basement.
He had talked to Fire Chief John Weisgerber about using the house for a controlled burn a while ago.
“He said they would do a controlled burn for training purposes. He thought there might be some value in it.”
Hawkings was impressed with the way the fire department handled the controlled burn.
“The Rimbey Fire Department are very professional and they did a very good job. I will be making a donation to the department, for sure.”
Weisgerber said the fire department usually does a couple of controlled burns each year.
“They are a training opportunity and good to give the firefighters firsthand experience,” he said.
Weisgerber said this controlled burn gave members an opportunity to work with air packs and also how to gain access through a wall in a building.