The Yukon Fire Marshal’s Office has delivered a new truck to Champagne, Yukon, bolstering the community’s scene safety response unit (SSRU). The 2024 Ford Super Duty F-350 XL pickup is equipped with a 300-gallon water tank and a pump capable of dispensing 300 gallons of water per minute.
Champagne’s SSRU plays a crucial role in securing scenes and preventing fire spread until neighboring fire departments, such as those in Ibex Valley and Hootalinqua, can arrive.
Kiara Adams, Yukon’s fire marshal, explained that the new truck is a significant asset. “It makes it fairly simple and easy for a volunteer to be able to deploy the hose reel with a hundred feet of hose on it,” she noted.
Heather Hougen, a member of the SSRU in Champagne, highlighted the unit’s formation in September 2023, following a recommendation after the 2020 Keno City Hotel fire. The team’s training was put to the test when they responded to a lightning-struck tree fire last summer. “It was a real eye opener on how quick something can happen and how vulnerable you are,” Hougen said, adding that the community’s quick action underscored the importance of a local response team. “We’re proud of what we’re doing.”
Adams confirmed that the territory currently has six SSRU teams, with additional units in Ross River, Pelly Crossing, Old Crow, Destruction Bay, and Keno City. Another similarly equipped truck is being readied in Whitehorse, destined for another SSRU community.
Adams stressed the importance of providing communities without immediate fire department access with adequate equipment, training, and resources. “Our role as first responders is to make sure that we’re prepared and adequately equipped to be able to meet the needs when they come,” she said. She added her office relies heavily on governmental financial support to improve fire services across the Yukon. “It’s critical. It’s like any emergency service. When you need it, you need it dearly.”
