“The last time that a woman was a member of the Central Frontenac Volunteer Fire Department was back in 1997,” recalled Central Frontenac Fire Chief Bill Young earlier this week.

That changed in December 2014 when Heather Rioux and Jamie Malone, residents of Sharbot Lake, who are both married, mothers of two and also full time employees at W.A. Robinson Asset Management Ltd. and Pillar Financial Services, decided to join the Sharbot Lake detachment.

They are the most recent members to join the 25-member force, 23 of whom are men, and the two ladies were honored as special guests at the recent Robbie Burns Dinner Oso Hall on January 23.

“It shows that the department is no longer a gentlemen's club," Young said, “and it's nice to see women stepping up to the plate and getting involved. It's great for the department to have women on our team, especially for medical calls, since sometimes female patients may feel more relaxed when being attended to by a female responder."

When asked what motivated them to join the force, Rioux replied, “I personally have had to call the fire department a number of times in the past for medical calls, and I just felt that if I was in a position to be able to help out in the community in a similar way, that I wanted to do what I needed to in order to be that person.”

Rioux and her family have been long-time supporters of the local fire department through their annual Al-Apalooza music event, which for the past three summers has included a breakfast for guests put on the CF firefighters with proceeds supporting the organisation.

Jamie Malone's reasons for joining the department were similar. “I wanted to help people in the community and I also wanted to challenge myself and learn something new. Part of my motivation was also to be a good role model to my two sons and encourage them so that one day they might serve the community in some capacity.”

All applicants must undergo a medical exam to ensure that they are physically fit for the job. Also mandatory is an interview with the fire chief, who accesses the applicant’s motivations, availability, and how they might handle and react to a number of possible case scenarios.

Volunteers are also required to undergo regular training sessions on Tuesday nights in Sharbot Lake and must also participate in a 40-hour Emergency First Responders (EFR) course and pass a final exam. The EFR course covers First Aid/CPR training and other medical and primary assessment training to ensure that applicants are capable of identifying and treating victims of stroke, heart attack, seizures and other serious wounds and injuries. The weekly training sessions also cover various fire safety routines as well as the mechanical operation of pumper trucks and other related emergency equipment.

Both women agree that it is the mechanical training that is the most challenging. “There is definitely a lot to learn and it is a long process but the other volunteers are patient and more than willing to show us the ropes and to teach us exactly what we need to know,” Rioux said.

Being on call is also something that can pose a bit of challenge, though in most circumstances neither of them are expected to answer calls during their normal work hours. That being said, both must be available on weekends and evenings and both understand that that is part and parcel of the job. Both agree that being female, and entering a department that has, for close to two decades, been all male has not posed any problems whatsoever. “We are treated as equals and with the utmost respect," Malone said, and Rioux agreed. “We have always felt like part of the group and have always felt that we fit right in.”

Since December 2014, they have both responded to over 60% of the 100 emergency calls that have come in. As new members, both also participate in a number of the regular events that take place in and around the community, including the department’s annual boot drive, pancake breakfast/open house and visits to local schools.

Their advice to those women who may have considered volunteering, but for whatever reason have hesitated: “There is definitely a place for women in the Central Frontenac Volunteer Fire Department.”

On January 18 there was an incident at Pine Meadow Nursing Home that required staff to act quickly. When a carbon monoxide alarm went off, residents were moved away from the wing of the building where the alarm was located while staff addressed the problem and called in the fire department.

“The fire department gave the all clear after doing a thorough check, and the residents were allowed to return,” said Margaret Palimaka, the home's administrator. “Families, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Ministry of Labour have been informed. Medical follow-up was done and all concerned staff and residents are fine. We are also having a fire consultant review the incident.”

Palimaka added that the home often consults with community members and service providers, and seeks the expertise of their management contractor, Extendicare, on matters of safety.

“We would like to thank all our residents, their families and staff for their patience as we resolve this issue. We would also like to thank the fire department for their quick response and everyone else who responded in such a timely manner to keep everyone safe,” she said.

The grand opening / open house on November 21 for the new Kaladar-Barrie Northbrook fire station had a good turnout. Reeve Henry Hogg and Deputy Helen Reeve Yanch cut the ribbon to start the day off. Kaladar-Barrie Fire Chief Casey Cuddy thanked the Council of Addington Highlands and the residents for the new fire hall, which has filled a great need. He said the new facilities would help in training and allow for better care of the equipment, thereby providing better service to the residents. Retired clerk treasurer, Jack Pauhl, who was very much involved in getting the project started, was also present to cut the ribbon.

Three retired members of the department were present, including founding fire chief, John Bolton. The event also included informative displays and demonstrations, including car safety information and live fire extinguisher training.

When 74-year-old Betty Gervais fell and hit her head on a concrete block at the fire pit at her family camp late in the evening after a family gathering on Labour Day Weekend, she was not entirely unlucky.

For one thing she was with family, and her sons Trent and Terry are both trained first responders. In fact Terry is the soon to retire fire chief for the Napanee Fire Service and he knew exactly what to do. As well, the 911 call was quickly answered by the Arden and Henderson fire crews and among the first responders was an Arden firefighter whom Terry knew because he is also a paramedic in Napanee.

“The crew did a great job. They were there so quickly, and when the paramedics arrived from Northbrook after that, everything had been done as it should have been. They took her to Napanee hospital, and then to Kingston for tests the next day,” said Terry Gervais.

Betty suffered a concussion and although it took time for her to recover from the injury, she is now in Florida for the winter, completing her recovery.

“Trent and I, and the rest of our family, wanted to do something for the department because we know how things are in the rural areas. These volunteers are the first on the scene, before EMS (Emergency Services) arrive and they have to do assessments, secure the scene, and provide medical care,” he said.

When he found out that Central Frontenac is putting a new pickup truck equipped with firefighting foam into the small Henderson sub-fire station, he decided that he could provide a medical kit for that truck so the first responders from Henderson will have the same medical gear as those from Arden and the other main Central Frontenac stations. In addition, they added a defibrillator unit to the pack of gear.

With the new truck now having arrived at the Arden station, where it will have the foam unit installed in the coming weeks, Terry and Trent presented the medical kit to the fire crew on Tuesday night, November 24.

“This will bring much-needed added capacity to our Henderson station and will help with medical calls,” said Central Frontenac Fire Chief Bill Young, who was on hand with Deputy Chief Art Cowdy and the Arden fire crew to receive the gift.

A sizable crowd gathered to celebrate at the official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on June 27 at the newly renovated fire hall and community centre in Ompah.

North Frontenac councilor, Denis Bedard, emceed the event, which was attended by members of North Frontenac council and staff along with numerous volunteers and staff from the Ompah Fire Department, North Frontenac paramedics and emergency first responders, volunteers from the Ompah Community Volunteer Association and members of the community at large.

Mayor Ron Higgins congratulated all involved in bringing the project to completion and he stressed that it would not have been possible without the commitment of the community volunteers, who together raised $50,000 to see the $290,000 project through to completion. “Our volunteers have assisted with the planning, presenting of options and justifications to council and have done a lot of the work here. What you see here today would not have been possible without them.”

Higgins made a special presentation to Steve Sunderland, a long-time resident in the area who managed the project and whom some called the project's visionary and driver. He started off as a member of the initial task force, then later chaired the design task force and finally became project manager heading up the various smaller contracts.

This plan came about after a series of painful attempts at replacing or repairing the fire hall, which included a plan to put in a new fire hall/ambulance base in partnership with Frontenac County (way too expensive for the township) and a plan to expand the size of the fire hall (too expensive for the township)

Sunderland summed up the project that did get built as “renovating the two joined-at-the-hip, existing facilities as two separate entities unto themselves”.

The renovations to the fire hall included two new overhead remote-controlled vehicle doors, a new covered and separate entrance way, a new heated concrete floor, new drywall, a brand new mechanical system and washroom facility, and new wash bays.

The renovations to the community hall include a new 120 square foot foyer and wheelchair accessible entrance way to its west side, with a shelter for the outdoor mailboxes, newly renovated wheelchair accessible washroom facilities plus new lights and windows. The parking lot also was upgraded as well, with improvements to accessibility and drainage. Marily Seitz, president of the Ompah Community Centre, was thrilled with the new hall. “It's been a long and hard road getting here but it's been worth it. So many people from the community have put in their time, talents and energy and just look around you. It's just beautiful.”

Following the speeches, the official ribbon and cake cutting ceremony took place and guests were treated to demonstrations courtesy of the volunteers from the fire department and a free lunch courtesy of the Clar-Mill Community volunteers from Plevna.

The Ompah Fire Department and Community Center are celebrating the Grand Opening of their newly renovated buildings on Saturday, June 27. It is a triple celebration as the Ompah Fire Department also celebrates its 40th anniversary and the Emergency First Response Team (EFR) celebrates their 20th anniversary of service to the community.

The whole thing started as a response to community emergencies. In 1974 Harnden’s General Store in Ompah had a fire. The nearest fire department was in McDonalds Corners, and they responded, but by the time they arrived the store was a total loss. It was then that the community decided that Ompah needed its own fire department.

In 1975 Harnden’s donated the land. No funding was available so folks got together and built the community center section of the hall to support fundraising activities. Soon, enough money was raised to build the front two bays of the existing fire hall. Both structures were built by volunteers and most of the materials were donated, a true community response.

The first fire truck was a gas truck donated to the fire department. It was modified to spread water on the roads and, with a pump mounted on the back, to use as a tank truck to take to fires. On its return from a mechanical fitness test in Sharbot Lake, the road construction crew on Highway 509 hired the truck to keep the dust down. If it was needed for a fire, it was free to go. This helped raise funds for the fire department and community hall.

The first pumper was purchased in 1980 and a replacement tanker was purchased in 1981.

In 1994 there was a fire at Sinclair’s Snowmobile Service Station. Our fire department was ready and able to fight the fire and saved the building. However, in the process of fighting the fire, the fire chief suffered a heart attack. It took a long time for the ambulance to arrive and it was apparent that emergency medical treatment was needed here in Ompah. As a result, the Emergency First Response Team was formed. They practice twice monthly to be able to capably respond to medical emergencies in the community.

Over the years additions were made to the building to make them more efficient and more useful to the community. The back bay, office and washroom were added to the fire hall. The kitchen, bathrooms, and storage joined the community center along with the adjoining library. However by 2015, the whole building no longer fit the needs of a modern fire department or community center. This last year has been spent upgrading the interior and exterior and creating a much more useful and attractive building, parking area and green space.

The spirit of community is apparent in all aspects of the history of the fire department. Members of the community have eagerly come forward to help raise money, to volunteer their time and skills to build and renovate, and many have volunteered to serve the community as dedicated members of the fire department and community center. The fire fighters and EFR Team train twice monthly and are on call 24/7 – to serve our community when the need arises.

Everyone is welcome to join in the celebrations. At 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 27 a cottage/house safety workshop will take place in the community center followed by the official ribbon cutting and mayor’s remarks at noon. Lunch, cake and ice cream will be available in the community center, compliments of the township and provided by the Clar-Mill Community Volunteers. Fire department equipment and the renovated fire hall and community center will be available for viewing in the afternoon.

We all have fire extinguishers in our home, but how many of us know whether they would work in an emergency, or if we would know how to use them under the stress of an actual fire. If you are like me, you don’t get around to having them inspected very often. Last summer I had an opportunity to try one out at an event put on by the Snow Road Fire Department. A controlled fire was set, and I was handed an extinguisher to try and put it out. You would think this was a straightforward task, but I assure you it wasn’t. I had to be helped to figure out how to get the extinguisher to deliver its foam, and then how to approach the fire to actually put it out. I’m very glad I had the experience, in case I ever do have to use any of my home fire extinguishers.

On June 6, at the Ompah Community Centre, you will have the opportunity to have all of your home fire extinguishers checked by a professional, and to have them recertified, or fixed if necessary. Inspections will be done by Glenna Shanks from Perth Fire Extinguisher Service. She will be at the Community Centre from 9am to 12 noon. Eric Korhonen, Fire Prevention Officer for the North Frontenac Fire Department, will also be there with his fire extinguisher training set-up, so that you can get some first-hand experience using fire extinguishers. There will be a small fee for having your extinguishers inspected (repairs or recharging will also have fees).

Councillor Alan Revill has put on paper a set of proposals that he expressed verbally at a meeting of the South Frontenac Committee of the Whole last month.

The proposal, which when contacted over the phone earlier this week he said was intended to “get some ideas on the table for council to discuss”, envisions building one larger hall for the highest level of training and meeting space. It also calls for two smaller, full service halls, which would also be used for training of crews from across the township. Finally, the third type of hall would be “the most compact.” but would include “the fundamental requirements like m/f washrooms and showers” and would need to be built to post-disaster standards.

Revill wrote that the location of the main hall could be the Village of Sydenham, and would include administrative space where the chief might work from and any other administrative staff that the department takes on over the years.

“The Sydenham location would have the advantage of being located near the township offfice,” Revill said.

The two hub locations could be the Sunbury and Hartington halls, leaving compact halls in the other 6 locations: Bradshaw Road (Bedford), Burridge Road (Bedford), Road 38 – Verona (Portland), Perth Road (Loughborough), Latimer Road (Storrington) and Carrying Place Road (Storrington).

Revill took this exercise on because when the township went to a consultant for a design plan for the Perth Road fire hall late last year, the cost was set at $2.2 million, an amount that was placed in the 2015 township budget but was later pegged back to $1 million.

“If we consider that all of our fire halls are going to need to be replaced over the next ten to fifteen years, and the Perth Road hall is well down the list of halls in terms of call volumes, we could be looking at setting aside $2 million each year for firehalls,” he said.

He said that he is “not opposed to spending money on fire services in order to meet our needs. The costs have gone up and will continue ot go up, as we all realise around the council table, but there are cost implications that we need to consider.”

Members of Council took a tour of fire halls in surrounding townships and found a wide variety. In his report to Council, Revill said he favoured some of the features of the less epxensive fie hall in Mountain Grove to what was found at the more expensive fire hall in Amherstview, for example.

“I found the Amherstivew Hall to be far more than we need,” he said. “The spaces in the bays were excesssive for every purpose ...”

Fire hall construciton costs range from $200 to $300 per square foot, so the square footage of halls is a major issue.

Revill said he looks forward to hearing the views of his fellow councillors on these matters.

Presentation to members of Denbigh Abinger, and Ashby Fire department.

The formation of the Denbigh, Abinger and Ashby (DAA) fire department came about as the result of two things. First, in the mid 1960s the township council requested that the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office conduct a fire protection survey for the township. When the survey was completed and provided to the municipality it came with a number of recommendations, mainly that a fire department be set up and what it would need.

At the same time the DAA Centennial Committee was doing fundraising for anniversary projects and the volunteer fire department was one of those projects.

Money was raised to purchase a portable building from a Belleville trucking company and was moved to the township for use as a fire hall and roads department building. More money was raised to buy a truck, and a used milk tanker truck was purchased and refurbished. The township purchased some equipment and other equipment was donated.

It was sometime after 1967 that all of the equipment was finally in place, the volunteers were trained and the department was formally established, with William Scott Senior, who had been a firefighter in Toronto, serving as the first fire chief. The service was entirely made up of volunteers, and a fire phone system was set up so that when the emergency number was dialed it rang in designated homes. The volunteers in those homes each had a list of firefighters to call.

With municipal amalgamation at the beginning of 1998, the service was amalgamated with the Addington Highlands Fire Service. A plaque commemorating all those who served between 1967 and 1997 was commissioned by Addington Highlands Township, and on Monday night, April 20, the plaque and certificates of appreciation were presented to volunteers from those years who were able to attend. A number of the volunteers were on hand in person to receive their certificates, but a larger number were not, as there are many who have died or left the area since being fire department members back in the 1970s and 80s.

“This is just a small token of appreciation for all of the service provided over those 30 years by the Denbigh, Abinger and Ashby Fire department and all its members,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

After receiving their certificates, the firefighters who were on hand posed for a picture with the commemorative plaque, which will go on permanent display at the Addington Highlands Community Centre in Denbigh.

Notes from Council meeting

Fees waived for community wind power meeting - Paul Isaacs has organized a meeting concerning the NextEra proposed wind farm in Addington Highlands this Saturday (April 25) and he was asking for the use of the Denbigh Hall for free. The meeting will concern itself with creating three lists: a list of benefits from wind turbines, a list of detriments from wind turbines, and a list of questions to ask concerning wind turbines. Council approved the request for waiving the fee.

The idea of holding a public meeting sponsored by the township in ward 1, was also raised at the meeting and council will be considering setting one up. NextEra, as part of their public process, is going to be setting up an information Open House in Denbigh in late May. The Open House will be part of NextEra's push for council support for the project. A motion of support from the local township is one of the elements in the bid that NextEra will be submitting to Ontario Power Generation (OPG). A competitive bidding process is being used by OPG to determine which company they will sign a 20 year contract with for the purchase of 300 megawatts of wind power. As an incentive to Addington Highlands Council, NextEra is offering a $350,000 annual payment for the life of the contract. Those payments are contingent on two things happening: NextEra needs to the be successful bidder, and Addington Highlands Council needs to have supported the bid.

Support for a private members bill -

Sylvia Jones, Progressive Conservative MPP for Dufferin-Caledon, is sponsoring Bill 36, the Respecting Private Property Act, which if enacted will increase the fines for trespass on private property. The bill would establish a minimum fine of $500 for trespassing and would increase the limit for compensation to the landowner to $25,000 from the current limit of $1,000.

Council passed a motion supporting Bill 36.

Water levels low in Mississippi Valley

Councilor Kirby Thompson, who represents AH on the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority Board, reported that Gord Mountenay, who has been monitoring water levels in the watershed for 35 years, said that the lake levels are at historic lows this spring. The MVCA controls the flow of water within the system by using flow control dams, but the options are limited when water levels are low.

(see "Rain brings some relief from low lake water levels - burn ban conditions")

The first burn ban of 2015 was declared by South Frontenac Fire Chief, Rick Cheseborough, late last week, but was lifted after the rains on Monday. Spring burn bans come into place because as the snow recedes, the dead grasses, leaves and other vegetation from the previous year can easily catch fire and spread. Until new growth takes hold, there are considerable fire risks.

Meanwhile, concerns were already being raised about the potential for low water levels for the coming recreation season, but significant rains on Monday have made a difference. According to readings after Monday's rain, Mazinaw Lake, the headwaters of the Mississippi River system, had climbed to within 14 centimetres of normal levels, from 34 centimetres (13 inches) under normal a day earlier. Other lakes further down the watershed are at lower levels relative to normal. Big Gull is 27 centimetres below average. Crotch Lake, which is used as a reservoir lake for the lower lakes in the system, remained 57 centimetres below average levels for this time of year even after the rain.

Meanwhile within the Rideau system, Bobs Lake, which is used as a water source for the Rideau Canal, is 25 centimetres below normal, although it is only 15 centimetres below the target level set by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.