By Tiffany Williams
Editor
The second annual Emergency Tri-Services day will expose the community to the important services the Ponoka RCMP, Guardian Ambulance and the Ponoka Fire Department provide to the community. The EMS day will be held at the Ponoka Recreation and Culture Complex parking lot starting at 11 a.m. running until 3 p.m.
Donna Noble, fire prevention co-coordinator and secretary for the Ponoka Emergency Tri-Services encourages people to come and enjoy the day and ask questions because that is what they are there for.
“It’s good to bring the family and let them know that the emergency personnel are there to help and not someone you should fear,” said Noble.
They are planning to have the RCMP helicopter, RCMP Explosives Unit, Seat Belt Convincer, cadets, RCMP service dog and much more.
“We are trying to make it a little something for everyone. I don’t think a lot of people understand or realize what the emergency services do,” said Noble. “In the case of a fire we don’t just put the wet stuff on the red stuff.”
The Ponoka Fire Department attends to motor vehicle accidents, false alarms, grass fires, fuel spills, public hazards and other agency assists.
She thinks that everyone who is able to should try the seat belt convincer to experience what the seat belt does to a person.
“It gives you a whole new appreciation for what the seat belt does,” said Noble.
The RCMP helicopter is planning to land at 11 a.m. unless they get called out to respond to an emergency. Sgt. Glenn Demaere thinks that the helicopter is a great asset for the tri-services because it has many different elements that can be added to it to assist them such as heat sensors to help look for a missing person, a grow operation or to transport people to a remote location.
“Not too many people get an opportunity to get close with a helicopter and the majority of the time you see them it is with a bad experience,” Noble said. “This gives the public an opportunity to get up close and personal with those who protect the community.”
Demaere thinks it is important for the community to get out and see what they do.
“It showscases for the community what is available through the emergency services. I would like to have the public see what we do and that it is not always what Hollywood shows, some technology isn’t always available at every level,” he said.
The Ponoka Emergency Tri-Services Society was established in 2004 after a fatal motor vehicle collision, which took the life of a father and son and injured his daughters. This event brought the RCMP, PFD and the ambulance service together to form a strong partnership. Their goal is to make the community safer and to be part of community events through prevention, protection, education and enforcement. They also operate the log cabin on the stampede grounds during the stampede as a first aid and child find centre. It is also mobile and can as an operational centre during a disaster.
