The August long weekend was kind to the Okotoks Fire Department.

Fire chief Ken Thevenot says they only had to respond to one fire call during the week.

Okotoks fire chief Ken Thevenot

"We had 24 incidents: six alarm system activations, one vehicle fire, 11 medical responses, we attended to a couple of small gasoline spills and we responded to four motor vehicle accidents."

Thevenot says whenever you have a long weekend with no serious incidents, it's a huge relief for first responders on what is a very busy weekend.

"We had a very quiet long weekend, so a big congrats to Okotoks residents staying injury free with no major incidents over the long weekend."

As for the status of the Sheep River, after a high flow advisory a couple weeks ago, Thevenot says those levels are down and the river is safe to use for summer activities, but does remind residents to still be aware that the river flow can change at a moments notice.

"That hasn't been an issue in the last couple weeks since that high stream advisory that we had a couple weeks ago, but that was just a blip in the system and it was enough to catch our eye and start paying attention to what's going on. It was at a state where we just had to watch the river at that time."

Thevenot says during the wild summer weather, subscribing to the Safe Communities Alert Network can help those not just in Okotoks, but the entire Foothills be ready for whatever mother nature throws their way.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com