New apparatus will help P.E.I. fire departments reach remote areas

Fire departments on P.E.I. will have some new equipment to help fight fires in remote areas thanks to a donation from a charity based in Toronto.

GlobalMedichas supplied 17 fire skids to departments across the province.

The units are equipped with a 1,000-litre water holding tank, a pumpand a hose. The pump pressurizes the water from the holding tank, creating a high-pressure water stream that is required for fighting fires.

Each fire skid unit can be placed onto the back of a pickup truck or a trailer, turning the vehicle into a small firefighting apparatus. The units can be deployed to more remote areas that might be inaccessible to full-sized fire trucks.

Dave Rossiter, the provincial fire marshal, said the skids will be useful tomaintain control of smaller fires before they spread.

"We have what we call a lot of wildland fires at certain times of the year, which are either grass, brush or forest fires. Andthese tools are basically another tool in the toolbox for island departments."

Since the launch of the fire skid program last year, GlobalMedic has built more than 150 unitsfor fire departments across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nova Scotia and P.E.I.