Residents of High River have been calling the fire department directly when they have had an emergency, but Fire Chief Cody Zebedee asks citizens to use 9-1-1.
While people in High River may think calling the Fire Department directly could help solve an issue sooner, Zebedee explains why it's not the best route.
"The challenge with trying to call us at the fire hall when your fire alarm is going off, for example, is that we may not be in the station. The crew may be out, and we may be on a call, especially on a Saturday or a Sunday when the admin staff isn't here if the crew isn't in the station nobody is going to answer their call," Zebedee said.
To eliminate the potential of a missed call, 9-1-1 is the best bet to get a problem sorted as they can dispatch to High River's fire department when they are in the office or out solving an issue.
"By calling 9-1-1 it gives us the ability to have our 9-1-1 dispatcher get a hold of us whether we are on another call or out doing hydro testing or something like that, to let us know that folks need assistance," he said.
Zebedee also explained that if a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide alarm is going off call 9-1-1 immediately as it could save your life. He also added that people shouldn't be worried about calling 9-1-1 even if they find out it's just a faulty alarm as they would rather show up, and find out it's faulty than have someone ignore it and get hurt.
If you are worried about whether or not your smoke alarm is working or whether it needs to be replaced, those are the times you could call the fire department directly, but in an emergency like an alarm going off, 9-1-1 is the best way to get help as soon as possible.
If you are not sure whether to call 9-1-1 or the fire department, the safest way to make sure you are safe is to call 9-1-1 directly over the fire department as they would rather you be safe rather than sorry and it's the quickest way to get help.