The Portage la Prairie Fire Department has been busy in 2023 but it hasn't been that different from recent years.

Fire Chief and Director of Public Safety for Portage Brad Bailey has been crunching the numbers.

"I think we're fairly steady with past years. This summer, the last three months, we've been up a little bit from normal, with our building structure fires," says Bailey. "We've had a few isolated incidents where we've had multiple fires in the same building, so that tends to drive our numbers up."

Bailey hopes you are making sure your property is secure. He notes there have been some abandoned properties where people have been entering sheds, and perhaps, even staying in them, which can be a safety risk for everyone. Bailey says they receive all sorts of calls and they want to do what they can to help.

"Overall, we're a very steady department. We do, on average, 400-500 calls a year," says Bailey. "We've had years as high as 700 calls and, in the past, we've had years as low as high 300's."

If you see anything suspicious on your property, or a nearby property, Bailey encourages you to contact the RCMP, by phone or through their website. Bailey says he likes the online platforms the RCMP have set up to make it easier for people to get information to them. You can check that out here.

 

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