The Morden fire department and Morden police service both scored well on the recent community survey.

Both departments received a majority of perfect scores, five out of five, with some fours as well. The fire department and police in Morden have consistently done well over the past few years. In the 2015 survey, a different system was used, but Morden police rated in the low 80's while Morden fire department received scores in the low 90's.

"My first reaction was humbling," said Andy Thiessen, chief of the Morden fire department, about the survey results.

"People are realizing that our volunteers actually train hard to provide a professional service. We train quite a bit," he said. "The normal response hours are about 25 per cent of what we actually put in as far as training."

That means that Morden fire fighters spend a quarter of their time fighting fires, and the rest training to do so. The last 10 years of data show the same ratio.

One of the training houses the Morden Fire Department used in 2015.

Last year, training took up 5,000 hours, and there are no paid positions in the department, save the chief's; everyone involved is a volunteer, training for an event they hope never happens. The only time the volunteers are paid is for time spent on a call, putting out fires.

The Morden firefighters train most with search and rescue, getting used to the special equipment that keeps fire fighters alive.

"That's your life-line," Thiessen said. "If you don't know how to handle your air supply, you're going to be in trouble."

Fire suppression also requires a lot of practice as Thiessen says fires, though they may look the same can behave differently.

Practicing with the equipment and fire suppression happens in a variety of locations. Old farm houses have been donated to the department for training. Burn tanks, shipping containers where fires can be set again and again without damaging the container, are used regularly for practice. The Morden fire department and Morden police service share a special training facility, which is almost finished construction, where both departments can prepare themselves for dangerous situations, though not at the same time.

"Obviously we're doing some things right," said Brad Neduzak, Morden's police chief.

"We're not perfect, and we're always looking to improve, change things, and make things better, but it is reassuring to know, from here in, that we're on the right track."

The size of the community is something Neduzak believes contributed to the high rating. His officers live and socialize in the area so they have a vested interest in what's going on. It's this simple interaction of being involved in the community, that Neduzak says is important for his department.

"It's not just a call for us," Neduzak said.

"We do care about what's going, if it's minor in nature or something more serious."

Neduzak added that people appreciate when officers take those extra, little steps, taking the time to speak to people personally about their issues.

 

Morden police chief, Brad Neduzak.