N.S. fire department loses two trucks responding to fire on icy roads

Multiple fire trucks went off the road in Queens County, N.S., over the weekend.

At a time when volunteer fire departments across Nova Scotia are already feeling financial strain, one department in Greenfield, N.S., has found itself in an even more difficult situation.

The Greenfield and District Volunteer Fire Department is down two trucks after they both went off the road responding to the same fire call over the weekend.

Greenfield Fire Chief Moyal Conrad has been volunteering at the department for 35 years. He told CTV Atlantic he thinks one of the trucks is a total loss and the other will require repairs. It’s a price tag he estimates will be around $1.3 million in total.

“I’m just hoping the insurance companies work with us … but if they come through, we should be fine,” said Conrad.

“But to order a truck today, you’re still looking at a year probably. So, we’re still going to be into the summer before we even get a truck unless we can buy something that’s premade or second hand.”

The incident happened Sunday when a call came in for mutual aid at a structure fire in White Point, N.S., around 1:30 p.m.

Conrad says three trucks were sent to the call, none of which made it to the location.

“When we left the hall on the call we were on, there was no snow, the roads were bare. As we progressed south to our neighbouring fire department’s district to help them … the roads turned really, really bad in the moment,” he said.

“I radioed command when I was about five miles out and they told me to please come in the opposite way … so we came in another way, which was the first truck in on that road at that time. My second truck was behind us. We just went in (to the ditch), and we heard on the radio that they went in about 10 minutes after us. At that time, the roads were treacherous.”

According to Conrad, the road the trucks were travelling on was completely covered in ice. Once the trucks hit a slick spot, he says there was no regaining control.

“It was quite a feeling … I’m not a professional truck driver. We’re volunteers … we all go get trained, we all have our Class 3 licences, but we don’t drive everyday,” he said. “So, when you get these conditions that you’re not used to, things happen fast and that’s what happened to us.”

Conrad says the trucks involved are the fire department’s newest rigs, including a multi-purpose truck that can respond to any scenario.

Although the department is now down two trucks, Conrad said the North Queens department kindly loaned one of their rigs to ensure the crew in Greenfield are still able to respond to emergencies.

He admits the loss of two trucks is a difficult thing to stomach but says he’s happier no one was injured.

“Thanks everybody out there for your kind wishes. We will be fine. We will bounce back but it’s going to take a lot,” he said.

“To be a fireman, you’re dedicating hundreds of hours just to become one of our Level 1 firefighters so you can respond with us, and then you have to help us fundraise. Here we are on Family Day, and I have firemen here making sure this fire department is ready to go when the pager goes off,” he said.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Callum Smith.

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