Here are a few photo's from our live burn excersize yesterday. These images are mostly from the demolition of the structure. We had a photographer on site all day and will have those images later this week to share.
The burn was an awesome learning esperience for everyone involved. Some of whom were inside a burning structure for the first time. 29 firefighters from Strathmore Rural halls in Strathmore and Carseland along with the Town of Strathmore attended.
In the morning we did search evolutions where we advanced a charged line through the house while a primary search was performed. The hose team knocked down the fire so the search team could search safely.
Before lunch, we were introduced to the concept of positive pressure attack. Each of the crews had an opportunity to compare the heat, smoke and visibility before and after applying the tecnique. Everyone agreed that visibility was greatly improved.
Lunch was provided by the firefighters associations from Strathmore and Carseland. Hamburgers, Chilie, fresh fruit and pop filled everyone's bellies.
Following lunch, we set more intense fires and ran drills aimed at fire suppression, where nozzle tecniques were practiced.
The last evolutions involved setting a large fire in the center of the house and having firefighters observe rollover conditions and tecniques for controlling a large fire without causing a disruption in the termal layers present in the fire room.
Finally, the house was set on fire for the last time around 2:00 pm. It burned intensely, and gave everyone a chance to observe fire growth and flashover.
A hot day, sweaty, tired firefighters and charged hose lines are a recipie for a water fight.
All in all it was an outstanding day for all involved.
Standard Editor
The verdict was received by the end of April and the feelings about it are quite strong, but some aren't celebrating what the province thought Strathmore should annex, or how.
On April 30, at about 3 p.m. the town received confirmation that the Municipal Government Board (MGB) had released their verdict, and the result was very much in favour of Strathmore's requests.
"We are very, very excited about it," said Mayor George Lattery. "This is what we have strived for. It's been a long process but now that we have it, this is something that's going to last."
The 18.5 quarter sections of land being annexed should last about 50 years, based on the town's argument presented to the MGB last year about their 50-year plan. By doubling the size of Strathmore, the town should be able to handle a population of up to 50,000 people.
Seeing that much land change hands isn't what Wheatland County was hoping would happen when the verdict was released. Reeve Ben Armstrong explained that when developing their arguments and requests the county only followed the advice of Municipal Affairs and the Minister.
"We thought we were doing what they told us all the way through," said Armstrong. "It doesn't seem like they (the MGB) took anything we said or did into consideration."
That may seem true to those who read the document. It states a couple times that requests made by Wheatland County were outside the normal practice, and normal practice is exactly what the MGB ruled in favour of for every one of those requests.
"They've made their decision and we're going to have to live by it. We're not happy with it," said Reeve Armstrong. "We just have a few concerns when the government talks about conserving and protecting agricultural land, and it doesn't seem like that took much of that into consideration."
One of the more significant requests made by the county was to have a full 10-years worth of taxes forwarded to them. This would allow them to continue planning into the future, and means they wouldn't suffer financially because of the annexation. That request was denied though, in favour of the more historically common five-year declining compensation.
"100 per cent goes back to the county the first year, and every year it drops for five years, and at the end of the five years the county doesn't get any taxes," said Town CAO Dwight Stanford.
Those tax dollars will change significantly if land is developed, and that is what Mayor Lattery is hoping will start to happen right away.
"This council has been planning for this all along," said Mayor Lattery. "We are planning for the future. We've resolved the regional water line, we've resolved the waste water treatment, and now we've resolved the annexation. All those are done. There are many positives that are going to come out of this now. With the annexation being done, I'm sure the developers will be coming in."
Those developers will likely be responsible for some road development as well, which will gradually increase the area the town is expected to maintain. With the annexation, the town is equipped to plow and grade whatever roads require work for the coming year.
The cost of that work isn't in the 2010 budget, but Stanford said it shouldn't amount to be very much, and to accommodate that work the town might be over budget.
They will also be inheriting other responsibilities with this land, up to and including the fire service. Stanford said they are equipped for this expansion, but other changes may happen in the future.
As for an IDP, another request Wheatland County made that wasn't ruled in favour of, Mayor Lattery said the town will be working with the county to start one for the area. Because it will encompass such a large land base, it won't likely be completed before the election set for October.
Many of you know I import some neat electronics from China.
I'm making another bulk order this week.
Here's what's coming in this order. Let me know if you are interested or want more details.
1. 7" touch screen GPS navigator, with bluetooth, FM transmitter, mp3 player, video player, and e-book reader. Free 2GB SDRAM card - $200
2. 5W LED light bulb. Equivalent to 60W bulb. Looks like a regular incandescent bulb, nice white light. Installed in my kitchen. 50,000 hours run time. $30
3. Helmet Camera. - internal Lithium rechargeable battery. Takes microSD ram cards up to 8GB. mount on anything. Also usable as web cam. $100
4. rear view camera. for your car. mounts onto your license plate. Plugs into 7" touch screen above. $65
5. HD digital video camera. Sweet camera. If you've seen mine, you'll know what I'm talking about. 720p 5x optical zoom, removable (cheap) battery.$220
6. 8GB SDRAM chips $40
Here's the latest toy I've imported. I'm very excited about it. The cost delivered to my door is $199.00CDN. Let me know if you want one. Mine will be here May 5th. I'll be glad to show it off!
Navigo 7 inch GPS with media player bluetooth and FM transmitter.
The Navigo - a portable 7 inch touchscreen device that handles all the latest GPS software packages, comes with FM transmitter and Bluetooth functionality, and plays all your favorite audio and video files. The Navigo is a first class navigation and multimedia experience!
What GPS software and maps can I use with the Navigo? The Navigo runs nearly all the popular ones! How? Because it comes with the WIN CE 5.0 operating system. That's your guarantee of compatibility with today's hottest GPS software titles and maps. Whether you're buying or downloading, just make sure your GPS files are meant for WIN CE 5.0. Most are. Once the software is loaded into the navigator, you'll have access to cutting edge navigation features like:
3-D Views
Lane Assist
Voice Guidance
Points Of Interest (POI)
Intelligent Route Planning
Real Time Weather Data
Real Time Traffic Data
Map Share
User Contributed Map Update
Emergency Location Response
Is that it? Not even close! The Navigo isn't just an amazing GPS device - it virtually transforms your car into an office on wheels with advanced features like Bluetooth and FM Transmitter functionality. Bluetooth lets you pair your cellphone with the Navigo. The FM transmitter allows you to output audio from the Navigo to your car speakers! How is this useful? Picture this: You're in the car, a call comes through. A quick tap on the Navigo's touchscreen and you're talking with your boss with both hands on the wheel. Whatever you say gets picked up by the unit's powerful and sensitive built-in microphone. Whatever your boss says gets broadcast through your car speakers.
Is The Navigo a good car DVD player alternative? For those want to avoid the hassle and cost of installing a car DVD player into their vehicle, The Navigo is a good substitute. It has a large screen and plays multimedia files with ease opening up a world of entertainment options for you both inside and outside of your car. Imagine this. You're in the parking lot of the shopping mall, waiting for your wife to finish maxing out your credit card.
a) You could walk back into the crowded mall and help her pick out outfits
b) You could shop for some overpriced trousers for yourself
c) You could watch Frodo carrying out his quest to destroy the One Ring on your 7 inch GPS navigator!
Naturally, you choose c) and continue watching. Five minutes later, your wife calls and wants to get your opinion on a dress. Without missing a beat, you easily remove The Navigo from its car harness and take the movie with you. This is how perfect your life could be if you owned the Navigo!
This 7 inch touchscreen GPS navigator with FM transmitter and Bluetooth is perfect for: family road trips, soccer moms waiting for the kids, car pool commuters, salesmen who spend a lot of time on the road, etc. So whether you're looking for improved driving satisfaction the good life could be yours right away.
Lunch was provided by the firefighters associations from Strathmore and Carseland. Hamburgers, Chilie, fresh fruit and pop filled everyone's bellies.
