All Choice Rentals’ staff, stores and rental partners collaborate to supply the Jasper wildfire frontlines
As residents of Jasper, Alberta, were forced to evacuate the town due to wildfire, All Choice Rentals was tasked with heading towards the blaze.
In late July, more than 20,000 people were evacuated from the town, as the region’s largest wildfire in a century spread through Jasper National Park and quickly moved towards the town. Although the fire would burn more than 80,000 acres and consume about a third of the town’s structures, Firefighters were able to protect critical infrastructure, including the hospital, schools and emergency service buildings.
All Choice Rentals’ (ACR) Hinton branch, located about an hour north of the Town of Jasper, became an epicentre for supplying equipment to the various agencies battling the blaze, from the RCMP to firefighters to the Red Cross.
For the three weeks following the mobilization of the response, ACR staff were working around the clock, with fuel deliveries running 24 hours a day.
“The guys were kind of riding the adrenaline, and they love being able to actually help instead of just sitting from the sidelines,” said Owen Smith, Manager of ACR’s Hinton branch.
“All the guys at the shop have friends and family that live there, and we’re always in Jasper, so just seeing it kind of in chaos and emptied out was hard.”
ACR was immediately tasked with supplying generators, fuel and fuel storage to power lights, water pumps and communications. Skid steers were also an immediate need for firefighters. Using a hose line attachment, the skid steers were used to run water lines closer to the blaze.
“They also have their own sprinkler systems that they need to move around with forks because they’re just massive, massive systems. So, they use skid steers to move those around in the difficult terrain areas.”
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As the first responders organized, ACR was tasked with supplying light towers, portable toilets and excavators, as well as the trucks and trailers needed to move the equipment and fuel. The company’s water and vac trucks were also deployed to transport potable water, while its all-terrain lifts were used to pre-emptively spray buildings for fire protection.
“It was a massive operation, and it was all kind of within the first 48 hours everything got deployed,” Smith said. “We had pretty much cleared out our Hinton location on power generation within the first 36 hours after Jasper was evacuated.”
Supplying the response required assistance from other rental locations within All Choice Rentals. To meet demand, ACR began supplying machines and labour from its locations in Drayton Valley, St. Albert, Athabasca, Rocky Mountain House and Slave Lake.
“Everyone has the right or the obligation to refuse unsafe work, but in times of crisis, it seems like everybody wanted to help and step up,” said ACR Vice President Blake Menning. “So, I couldn’t be more proud and thankful to have such an amazing team.”
Industry partners
The ACR Hinton branch’s proximity to Jasper National Park has built a strong relationship with Parks Canada, and the company is on the approved vendor list for when rental equipment is required.
As equipment demand intensified during the wildfire, ACR was able to work with its industry partners to ensure the numerous agencies fighting the blaze had the necessary machines to tackle the job.
“We’ve built a strong network of rental partners that we deal with. If we didn’t have it, we could rent it from other providers, and then bring it into the park on their behalf,” Menning said. “We try to be a one stop shop provider for everything in terms of equipment. To do that, you must surround yourself with a good network of industry partners.”
As the situation in Jasper intensified, companies began contacting ACR via phone, text and social media to offer their support.
“The outpouring was overwhelming and great to see. It’s kind of like, at the end of the day we all work together.”
ACR was formed in 2009 when the Cat Rental store in Drayton Valley was purchased by an investors group made up of current ACR employees and several local business owners. Today, the company has grown to include nine locations throughout Alberta.
Unfortunately, the Jasper fire was not All Choice Rentals’ first experience supplying equipment to a natural disaster response. Last year, the company’s hometown of Drayton Valley was evacuated for two weeks due to a threat from wildfires.
“We were dangerously close to losing our community due to wildfire. It came right up to our town limit,” Menning said.
Many of ACR’s staff members stayed in Drayton Valley to ensure first responders had the equipment necessary to hold off the fire.
“One of our big philosophies with running our own business is if you support the community and support others, they’ll support you,” Menning said
