New Truck Bolsters Fire Response in Champagne, Yukon
Champagne, Yukon — The Yukon’s Fire Marshal’s Office recently delivered a new pickup truck to Champagne’s scene safety response unit (SSRU). This upgrade promises to significantly improve the community’s ability to handle fire emergencies.
The SSRU’s primary mission is to secure a fire scene and prevent fire from spreading to other properties or structures until the arrival of neighboring fire departments. The community of Champagne, with a population of just 22 in 2021, relies on volunteer fire departments from Ibex Valley and Hootalinqua, which can take 30 minutes to an hour and a half to respond.
Kiara Adams, Yukon’s fire marshal, detailed the new truck: a 2024 Ford Super Duty F-350 pickup equipped with a 300-gallon water tank and a pump capable of delivering 300 gallons of water per minute. It also features a one-inch hose and nozzle on a booster reel.
“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,” Adams explained.
Heather Hougen, a member of Champagne’s SSRU, noted that the unit, which has up to 12 members, holds monthly training sessions. The SSRU was established in September 2023, following a recommendation stemming from the Keno City Hotel fire in 2020. Hougen recounted a recent test of their training when the unit responded to a lightning-caused 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 unit, with the help of community members, managed to extinguish the fire before outside aid arrived. This experience underscored the essentiality of a local response team.
Hougen views the new truck as a form of validation. She said she is looking forward to learning the ins and outs of the truck during upcoming training sessions.
“We’re proud of what we’re doing,” she stated.
Adams also emphasized the importance of proper equipment for small communities lacking immediate access to a fire department, stating that there are currently six SSRU teams throughout the territory. She added that another truck is being outfitted in Whitehorse with the same equipment for delivery to another community.
“It’s extremely important for communities without a fire department close by to have proper equipment, training, and resources readily available to them in the event of an emergency,” Adams said. She further emphasized the importance of prevention.
“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,” Adams stated. She highlighted that these needs occur 365 days a year.
Adams emphasized that the Fire Marshal’s Office is heavily reliant on financial support from the territory to acquire essential resources, such as the new truck. She noted that the government’s commitment to enhancing fire services across the Yukon is evident, but admitted that further support is still needed to provide top-notch service.
“It’s critical,” Adams concluded. “It’s like any emergency service. When you need it, you need it dearly.”
