Things are heating up for Rosser Fire Department’s 40th anniversary festivities.
On Saturday, Sept. 21, all are welcome to attend an anniversary celebration at Rosser Firehall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature kids’ activities and a hotdog lunch.
It’s also an ideal chance to reflect on the four-decade history of Rosser Fire Department, which got its start in 1984.
“We took delivery of our new fire truck on March 10, 1984. Our new firehall opened April 7, 1984. We had 22 guys when we started,” said Deputy Fire Chief Rob Manchulenko. “Our first year, we had 11 calls in 1984, up to 170 calls this past year in 2023.”
The first fire chief was Carl Simonson, who served from 1984 to 1988. After that, Howard Manchulenko served as fire chief for the next decade from 1988 to 1998.
Les Libello took over as fire chief from 1998 to 2003 after serving as deputy chief from 1984 to 1998. After that, Victor Braun was deputy fire chief from 1998 to 2003.
Today, Mike Palmer is the fire chief and Rob Manchulenko is deputy chief, both having served from 2003 to the present. Two members — captains Don Manchulenko and his brother Ken Manchulenko — have been with the fire department since it opened.
The current members of Rosser’s fire management team are Fire Chief Mike Palmer, Deputy Fire Chief Rob Manchulenko, Capt. Ken Manchulenko, Capt. Don Manchulenko, Capt. Victor Braun, Capt. Dusty Moore and safety officer Curtis Simonson. Braun and Simonson also lead the department’s communications. The public education team is made up of Mark Hagidiakow, Nick Stratuliak and Murray Slagerman.
“Rosser Fire has a very dedicated group of volunteer firefighters,” Fire Chief Palmer said. “When we need the help, the firefighters always make the time to attend.” Volunteer firefighting is not just putting out fires, he added. They also respond to motor vehicle collisions (which could be to clean up oil or other fluids) as well as ATV, snowmobile and UTV accidents. They’re involved in vehicle extraction to safely remove someone involved in a collision using the jaws of life.
Other duties could include responding to farm accidents and vehicle fires, which could include farm equipment, trains, semi trucks, automobiles — and they recently responded to their first electric vehicle fire.
The fire department is on hand for building fire alarm calls, HAZMAT calls for unknown spills, CO2 alarm calls, train derailments, patient assists from rooftops and grain elevators, search and rescue missions for lost or missing people — and, of course, structure fires and grass fires.
“We assist EMS with patient lifts and help when needed. We set up landing zones for STARS helicopter. Over the 20 years as fire chief, we have sent many members to assist the office of the fire commissioner with structure protection and suppression in Vita, St. Laurent and the Ashern/Mulvihill wild fires,” Palmer said.
“We assist neighbouring municipal fire departments when needed under mutual aid agreements, and they reciprocate back to Rosser as well. Rosser Fire Department has always had great support from the council and ratepayers of the RM of Rosser.”
Looking back, the fire hall has undergone many transformations over the decades, and it continues to expand and grow.
“We started with a pumper and a tanker in a two-bay firehall. In 1998, we expanded the fire hall in Rosser to four bays. We purchased a used rescue truck and a grassfire truck,” Manchulenko said.
“In 2013, we purchased a mini-pumper and started renting a firehall bay in the CentrePort area. We also had a tanker truck there as well.”
Today Rosser Firehall houses a rescue truck, pumper, pumper-tanker, wildland unit and a three-quarter-ton fire truck.
“We are currently building a new firehall in CentrePort,” he added. “We have a mini-pumper, pumper-tanker, tanker and a rescue equipment trailer.”
In four decades, the Rosser Fire Department has responded to roughly 3,200 calls, including some remarkably large fires.
In the 1980s, a tire fire burned for seven days. Then in the 1990s, Rosser firefighters fought their first BFI garbage fire, which lasted for two days.
In the 2000s, they battled a dairy barn fire, and in the 2010s, they dealt with an explosion at the Dorsey converter station.
In the 2020s, they’ve faced multiple high value semi tractor fires, as well as a warehouse structure fire.
The team has also grown over the years — and there’s room for further growth.
“Currently, we have 30 members,” Manchulenko said. “We are always looking for suitable individuals to join our team.”
Anyone who would like more information about joining the team can email the Rosser Fire Department at firedept@rmofrosser.com.
