Garrison Fire Department dispatched to oil well fire
By STU MERRY
It’s something Garrison firefighters didn’t expect to hear – at least for a few years anyway. But when county dispatch directed the Garrison Fire Department to respond to an oil well fire west of Garrison at 12:25 p.m., Dec. 12, a number of firemen took a deep breath, fearing they were about to experience something they had only given a fleeting thought to.
Garrison Fire Chief Bruce Schreiner said his first reaction was to utter an expletive.
As firefighters were barreling down N.D. 37 about 10 miles west of Garrison, county dispatch announced that the oil well fire was not in far western McLean County. Firemen were asked to return to base. The fire was instead across Lake Sakakawea near Mandaree in McKenzie County.
While firefighters breathed a collective sigh of relief, department officials said they know someday, that call will be the real thing.
Having time to digest what went through the minds of firemen that day, Schreiner said the call was a surprise.
