BACKGROUND

The Walkerton Fire Department services 10,000 people, three small hamlets, and has service agreements with 3 other departments. The Department has 2 full time staff members and 59 volunteers between their two departments in Walkerton and Elmwood. With no major rivers or mountain ranges, the Department responds to roughly 200 calls per year, 25% of which are fire related.

CHALLENGE

Because the department is volunteer based, the team doesn’t know who might be available at any given time. Less people are living and working in the small town, making it hard to recruit young staff – with positions often receiving only one applicant. Short-staffed and facing recruitment difficulties, Chief Wells was hoping for a solution that could aid in personnel challenges.

SAM provides a failsafe backup by recirculating water to keep the pump cool, and ultimately this minimizes maintenance bills and extends the life of the pump.

SOLUTION

In early 2022, the Department formed a committee to create an RFP to replace a pumper truck that needed replacement. After learning about SAM, there were two primary reasons Walkerton purchased the system. First, SAM allowed the pump operator to attend to multiple jobs rather than being locked to the truck. Secondly, Chief Wells had to rebuild their previous pump twice as volunteers accidentally overheated the pump twice. SAM provides a failsafe backup by recirculating water to keep the pump cool, and ultimately this minimizes maintenance bills and extends the life of the pump.

RESULTS

Chief Wells’ biggest concern surrounded how to back up the pump if the electronics failed. After learning he could turn the system to manual and physically open and close valves with a wrench, Chief Wells felt reassured. More than just being satisfied, the SAM system has impressed the Walkerton Fire Department with its ability to save time and increase efficiency. For other small, volunteer-led, cash-strapped departments, Chief Wells offers this advice: “For my department, when we buy a truck, we need it to last for 25 years. If I bought this truck without SAM, I would be waiting 25 years before I used the technology of today. For us it was a no-brainer. SAM frees up a firefighter and prolongs the life of my pump. Why would I wait to buy it?”

“For my department, when we buy a truck, we need it to last for 25 years. If I bought this truck without SAM, I would be waiting 25 years before I used the technology of today. For us it was a no-brainer. This technology frees up a firefighter and prolongs the life of my pump. Why would I wait?”

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