Feature Article - August 7, 2008

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Feature Article - August 7, 2008 Fatal fire on Kashwakamak LakeBy Jefff Green

It was the kind of call that volunteer firefighters in lake country dread. At 1:45 a.m. last Saturday, August 2, firefighters were called to a location on the Smith Road near Ardoch. After driving 7-8 kilometres down the Smith Road, crews turned onto a small private cottage road which they had to try and squeeze their trucks and equipment though.

“Cottage roads are our worst nightmare,” said a tired North Frontenac Fire Chief Steve Riddell when contacted two days later, “and with all the rain we’ve had, this one was so soft that we could only get our tanker truck to about 100 metres from the fire.”

Crews from three stations (Clar-Mill, Ompah, and Snow Road) around 20 firefighters in all, responded to the fire, but there was little they could do to save the cottage, which was fully engulfed in fire when they reached it.

“It was disheartening because we found out right away that someone had been in the cottage and had not gotten out,” said Riddell.

Two young men were sleeping on the porch of the cottage and they had tried to rescue the man inside, but to no avail.

Other visitors and family members, all of whom were visiting for a family reunion on the long weekend, were sleeping in other cabins. Everyone had gone to bed early because there had been a blackout at around 9 pm.

At first light the body was discovered, and later in the day it was sent for analysis to determine the cause of death. The name of the deceased had not been released as of Tuesday afternoon.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Chief Riddell said investigators have “a pretty good idea. They are looking at a couple of things, based on eyewitness accounts. Electrical problems and carelessness are two possibilities.”

Although the wet weather made it difficult to get to the fire, it did prevent the fire from spreading.

“If the weather was dry, with that amount of underbrush and down that cottage road, it could have spread to many more cottages on the lake,” Riddell said.

“We’ve got to get talking to these cottagers to get them to understand that we need to work on these roads.”

Photo: Sydenham Mom Lisa Nelder with Avery, Grace, Ava, Clara and Connor and fire fighters Kurtis Barber, Jerome Slater, Rob Driscoll and Chris Holton

For the volunteer firefighters at Station 9 in Sydenham, Mother's Day presents the perfect opportunity to both bond with members of the local community and also raise funds for a variety of projects. Projects this year included donations to the Easter Seals campaign, Muscular Dystrophy, purchasing firefighting equipment and investing in fire training and fire prevention programs. This year was the fourth annual Mother's Day breakfast and silent auction. Eight firefighters served close to 400 breakfasts and gave out carnations to all the Moms who attended. The event also included live entertainment by the Mark Alton band and the Celtic Hearts of Perth Road Village. Firefighter and president of the Sydenham Firefighters’ Association, Jerome Slater, said, “This is by far our biggest fundraising event of the year and we work very hard all year long towards putting it on. Our reward is that we successfully manage to raise funds for our projects but we also get a chance to interact with the community face-to-face in a relaxed environment.”

Upcoming for the Sydenham fire fighters is Canada Day at the Point and a presentation and slip and slide event at Loughborough Public School. The Sydenham Association is always looking for more volunteer fire fighters. Anyone interested can contact Fire Chief Rick Cheesebrough at the Township of South Frontenac municipal offices at 613-376-3027. The Sydenham Association is also always looking for volunteers to help out at their fundraising events. For that information email Jerome Slater at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Paul Tyrrell, Dawn Parks, Joe Doran and Rob Doran rode 97 km in the Ompah volunteer fire fighters annual Spring ATV run on April 24.

The fourth Annual Ompah Volunteer Firefighters’ Spring ATV run took place on April 24. Over 625 participants took part in the 97 km run that took riders through a diverse trail, one of the run’s major draws.

The event attracted riders from all over Ontario and from as far away as Vars, Quebec. It has grown from 70 riders in its first year and its popularity has been spread mainly by word of mouth. The Ompah crew for the first time this year enlisted the help of the volunteer firefighters and FLAG Ladies from Snow Road, who put on the turkey supper which fed upwards of 400 diners; the volunteer firefighters from the Clar-Mill Volunteer Fire Department, who put on the lunch; plus a crew of students and staff from Clarendon Central Public School who ran an ATV bike wash. Between the four groups over $20,000 was raised.

The majority of funds will be put towards the building of the new fire hall in Ompah, which is set to begin in the fall, and towards the purchase of a thermal imaging camera that will allow fire fighters to locate people trapped in buildings.

The event is the single biggest fundraiser for the Ompah firefighters and according to ATV enthusiast Dawn Parks, who took part in the event, it was  “a very organized run with no congestion, great signage and a lot of volunteers who helped make it a really enjoyable ride.”

For those who missed out, the Ompah and area firefighters will be holding another run in the fall, on Saturday Sept. 18.

Jason Ronfeld got his start as a firefighter with the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department, where he was a young recruit in the late 1990s, but even before that time he thought about becoming a professional firefighter.

“Fire fighting has always been a passion of mine” he said from his home in Whitby this week, where he now works as a professional firefighter with the Whitby department.

Last Thursday, along with his firefighting partner John Sotirou, Jason received the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery from Lieutenant Governor David Onley for his actions in response to a house fire in Whitby at the end of April.

There is an ongoing investigation into that fire, so Jason could not talk about all the details. He was called into a house “just across from the fire station just after midnight on April 29. There was smoke outside in the air. No fire was visible to us. We knew there were people in the upstairs apartment so we went in and did a search for them. It was very hot and very smoky,” Jason recalls.

The events that took place were described in the citation that accompanied the award last week:

“Fire damage to the staircase was extensive and conditions on the upper floor were extremely hot with zero visibility. The firefighters could see fire above them on the ceiling. During the search for occupants, the firefighters saw that fire was reforming up the staircase, their only exit route. They used water to suppress the fire, which worsened visibility. Nearing the end of the search, Firefighter Ronfeld noticed the air in his self-contained breathing apparatus was getting low. Through their extensive search of the dwelling unit they were able to locate three unresponsive teenagers huddled together. Firefighters Ronfeld and Sotiriou grabbed each teenager and passed them off to firefighters who had now come upstairs to assist with victim removal. Sadly, despite the valiant and selfless efforts of the firefighters, none of the three victims survived. Back outside, the firefighters noticed that their metal buckles and reflective tape on their gear had been discoloured by the intense heat. That was a clear sign of the extreme conditions these two firefighters faced.”

This was the first time that Jason Ronfeld had been called upon to do this kind of rescue. He said that he knew the conditions were extreme and that he was at risk, but "knowing there were people in there and there was a chance to get to them kind of pushed us. Adrenaline, and a lot of training, comes into play at that point. They played a very large role in what we did.”

All of that training began in Jason's senior year at North Addington Education Centre (NAEC) when he was recruited to the Kaladar/Barrie department by then Fire Chief John Bolton. Jason trained with the department until the year 2000, when he left to study Fire Protection Technology and attend Seneca College. After graduating, he returned home to work with his father at Ronfeld Electric for a year, before returning to Seneca to take the professional firefighter course. He was hired by the Whitby department in January of 2006 and has been working there ever since.

All of that history, and training, came into play on April 29.

John Bolton happened to be watching the 11pm CHEX TV news from Peterborough last Thursday night when the regional reporter from Oshawa–Whitby came on with a report about the two Whitby Firefighters who won bravery medals.

“That's how I found out. I saw Jason on the screen getting one of the awards. My wife was going to Kingston the next day, and I told her I needed a new shirt because I broke all the buttons on my old because my chest got so puffed out with pride,” John Bolton said.

On a more serious Bolton recalled that Jason Ronfeld had always impressed him with his overall work in the department. North Addington Education Centre helped the fire department's recruiting efforts by offering a credit course in firefighting and “Jason was one of those excellent recruits, who stayed with the department right up until he was hired by the Whitby department. We were proud of him then and we are proud of him, and his parents, now.”

Jason got his start in fire rescue at a house in Kaladar that the department would use for training.

“We would fill it with smoke and send the fighters in to simulate rescues, but I'm sure Jason has had better training since then.”

 

Jason Ronfeld got his start as a firefighter with the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department, where he was a young recruit in the late 1990s, but even before that time he thought about becoming a professional firefighter.

“Fire fighting has always been a passion of mine” he said from his home in Whitby this week, where he now works as a professional firefighter with the Whitby department.

Last Thursday, along with his firefighting partner John Sotirou, Jason received the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery from Lieutenant Governor David Onley for his actions in response to a house fire in Whitby at the end of April.

There is an ongoing investigation into that fire, so Jason could not talk about all the details. He was called into a house “just across from the fire station just after midnight on April 29. There was smoke outside in the air. No fire was visible to us. We knew there were people in the upstairs apartment so we went in and did a search for them. It was very hot and very smoky,” Jason recalls.

The events that took place were described in the citation that accompanied the award last week:

“Fire damage to the staircase was extensive and conditions on the upper floor were extremely hot with zero visibility. The firefighters could see fire above them on the ceiling. During the search for occupants, the firefighters saw that fire was reforming up the staircase, their only exit route. They used water to suppress the fire, which worsened visibility. Nearing the end of the search, Firefighter Ronfeld noticed the air in his self-contained breathing apparatus was getting low. Through their extensive search of the dwelling unit they were able to locate three unresponsive teenagers huddled together. Firefighters Ronfeld and Sotiriou grabbed each teenager and passed them off to firefighters who had now come upstairs to assist with victim removal. Sadly, despite the valiant and selfless efforts of the firefighters, none of the three victims survived. Back outside, the firefighters noticed that their metal buckles and reflective tape on their gear had been discoloured by the intense heat. That was a clear sign of the extreme conditions these two firefighters faced.”

This was the first time that Jason Ronfeld had been called upon to do this kind of rescue. He said that he knew the conditions were extreme and that he was at risk, but "knowing there were people in there and there was a chance to get to them kind of pushed us. Adrenaline, and a lot of training, comes into play at that point. They played a very large role in what we did.”

All of that training began in Jason's senior year at North Addington Education Centre (NAEC) when he was recruited to the Kaladar/Barrie department by then Fire Chief John Bolton. Jason trained with the department until the year 2000, when he left to study Fire Protection Technology and attend Seneca College. After graduating, he returned home to work with his father at Ronfeld Electric for a year, before returning to Seneca to take the professional firefighter course. He was hired by the Whitby department in January of 2006 and has been working there ever since.

All of that history, and training, came into play on April 29.

John Bolton happened to be watching the 11pm CHEX TV news from Peterborough last Thursday night when the regional reporter from Oshawa–Whitby came on with a report about the two Whitby Firefighters who won bravery medals.

“That's how I found out. I saw Jason on the screen getting one of the awards. My wife was going to Kingston the next day, and I told her I needed a new shirt because I broke all the buttons on my old because my chest got so puffed out with pride,” John Bolton said.

On a more serious Bolton recalled that Jason Ronfeld had always impressed him with his overall work in the department. North Addington Education Centre helped the fire department's recruiting efforts by offering a credit course in firefighting and “Jason was one of those excellent recruits, who stayed with the department right up until he was hired by the Whitby department. We were proud of him then and we are proud of him, and his parents, now.”

Jason got his start in fire rescue at a house in Kaladar that the department would use for training.

“We would fill it with smoke and send the fighters in to simulate rescues, but I'm sure Jason has had better training since then.”

 

Photo by Michelle Ross

While politicians debate and debate some more about the location of a new fire hall and/or ambulance station the volunteers continue to serve the community.

On July 5 the Ompah firefighters and EFR team staged a pretend jet ski accident on Canonto Lake to practice water rescue and emergency care procedures. After arrival at the shore access point, suiting up, and preparing equipment to access the injured person in the water rescuers paddled out to the inured person in a special rescue boat. After returning to shore rescuers lifted the collared patient to a backboard for transportation in a rescue trailer via ATV to the waiting (pretend) air ambulance.

On July 9, 20 firefighters from Plevna, Ompah, and Snow Road stations participated in a wild fire fighting training exercise. Following Ministry of Natural Resources guidelines and overseen by Carl Hertendy, the firefighters practiced wild fire fighting procedures in a 5 acre area of the gravel pit located in Robertsville. A team of firefighters from Denbigh was also on hand to help out and advise.

Many thanks to these dedicated volunteers who commit their time to insure they are fully prepared for emergency events.

Hunt Road maintenance request – George Hunt appeared before council to request some help in bringing about 1.5 kilometres of the Hunt Road, south of Cloyne, to a point where it is passable. Hunt said that his family uses the road seasonally to access their property, and that at one time it had been maintained. He said some culverts are needed and some gravel as well.

Reeve Hogg said that Council would look into his request as part of their budget deliberations, which are scheduled for next week.

“I can't guarantee anything, but we will look into it,” Hogg said.

$75 is better than a pin -

A provincial program of recognition for volunteer firefighters will include a list of items that firefighters who qualify will be able to choose from.

“Why don't they give out pins?” asked Councilor Helen Yanch.

“Because a pin isn't worth anything,” said Deputy Mayor Bill Cox.

The items that are available are valued at around $75.

Road work on 41 - The MTO is planning to do some road upgrades on Hwy. 41 between Buckshot Lake Road in Vennachar and the Hwy. 28 intersection. The design phase is being completed but the timing of the actual work has not yet been determined.

Road work on County Road 29 – Lennox and Addington County will be doing about $500,000 in work on County Road 29 this summer, reported Public Works Manager Royce Rosenblath. Rosenblath also reported that an updated Roads Needs study for the township has been completed. It says that it would cost $7.1 million to complete all the road and bridge work that is either needed now or in coming years, but Rosenblath said he will bring the urgent matters, which are not as onerous, forward for this year’s budget.

Energy use study – Stewart Fast, a researcher at the University of Ottawa, appeared before council to talk briefly about the preliminary results of a study he has done into the energy use habits of Addington Highlands and North Frontenac residents. Fast sent out 836 surveys and had a 20% response rate, which is enough for him to put together some reasonably accurate statistical data.

In terms of home heating, Fast found that 73% of respondents use wood as a primary or secondary heating source, a dramatic divergence from the national average, which is 5%. Another 13% use wood pellets. He also found that 56% of the people who heat with wood cut their own.

In terms of attitudes towards alternative energy production, he found varying responses based on what type of energy is involved. For example, 87% of responders were in favour of rooftop solar, while only 60% support wind projects, and 58% support hydro dams on local waterways. Sixty-eight percent of responders would be happy with a wood pellet factory in the region.

Fast said he would forward all the information he develops to the township. He is holding information evenings in Denbigh tonight, April 7; Flinton on Sunday, April 10, and Ompah on Monday, April 11. For information see Northern Happenings.

 

Photo: CF Fire Chief Mark MacDonald (centre) presents gifts to retired Chaplain Jim Tysick(l) and retired chief paul Lowery (r). Missing is retired Captain Bob Veley, who was unable to attend.

On January 29, the firefighters of Central Frontenac Fire and Rescue, District 4, Stations 4 and 6, Parham and Piccadilly, honoured three retired firefighters for their dedicated service to their community.

Those feted were former Chaplain Jim Tysick for 13 years 1993 to 2006, former Captain

Bob Veley 29 years,1981 to 2010, and former Chief Paul Lowery 34 years,1976 to 2010, the last 16 years as District 4 Chief.

A delicious potluck dinner was enjoyed by many current firefighters and family members. Also attending were Central Frontenac Fire Chief Mark MacDonald and Operations Deputy Chief Bill Young.

Engraved plaques were presented by District 4 Chief Bernie Quinn and Captain Dave Hansen on behalf of the District 4 Firefighters.

Chief Mark MacDonald presented engraved gifts on behalf of the municipality .

Photo 1 Chaplain Jim Tysick, retired, and Chief Paul Lowery, retired, cutting the cake

Photo 2: CF Fire Chief Mark MacDonald (centre) presents gifts to retired Chaplain Jim Tysick (l) and retired Chief Paul Lowery (r). Missing is retired Captain Bob Veley, who was unable to attend

File photo: Keith Hawley.

The old saying “as ye sow, so shall ye reap” is often used to talk about payback for bad deeds, but in the case of Keith Hawley, the seeds he has been sowing for 60 years ended up saving his life.

On December 10, during the short walk from the Masonic hall in Sharbot Lake back to his home, Hawley suffered a heart attack and dropped to the ground at the corner of Elisabeth and Mathew streets. A driver who was bringing her children home from a high school dance found him there, and called 911.

The first on the scene was Glen Moase, a firefighter with Central Frontenac Fire & Rescue who lives at the other end of Elizabeth Street. He began doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on Hawley, who did not appear to have a pulse. “We train for medical emergencies constantly, so when I arrived the training kicked in immediately, and I just reacted,” Moase recalled later.

Mark Taylor and Duncan McGregor arrived soon after, with the department's rescue van. As part of their emergency first response, a defibrillator was used as well.

The Frontenac Paramedic Service arrived next, and the two paramedics on duty happened to be Ryan Conboy and Mark Powell, who are both volunteer firefighters with the Central Frontenac department when they are not on duty as paramedics. They quickly got Keith Hawley into the ambulance, and left for the Perth hospital, with two of the firefighters, Mark Taylor and Devon Conboy, riding in the ambulance as well to provide assistance.

“As the ambulance was leaving they said that he had a pulse, which I was able to relay to Keith's wife Irene as she was getting ready to follow to the hospital in an OPP car,” said Glen Moase.

The ride to Perth was not without incident, as Hawley required further interventions along the way.

“It was a great example of the fire and ambulance services working together to try and save a life. The firefighters did everything they could and we took it from there. We all train together for these kinds of events, and to have that all come together for someone like Keith makes it even more gratifying,” said Mark Powell.

The good news is that Keith Hawley survived his ordeal, and after a difficult time in hospital and an operation, he began to recover. He returned to his home on Christmas Day, just a couple of weeks after his collapse. When contacted by the News this week, he said he was still feeling weak, but is feeling stronger as time goes on.

He recalled that the fire department has been involved with medical rescues for many years, although the equipment has improved over time. “I remember taking the first course with a machine called a resuscitator back in the '50s with Bob England. It did a pretty good job at the time, but not what the machines can do now,” he said.

There are few, if any, other 60-year veteran volunteer firefighters in Ontario. Even though Hawley downplays his current role with the department, saying, “I'm only the secretary now,” his colleagues in the department are particularly proud of this particular medical assist call.

And after responding to calls for most of his adult life, it's the first time the department has been called in to assist him.

In Hawley's case, it was first time lucky.

 

Photo: Captain Jeff Matson and volunteer fire fighter Leigh Baese with Jennifer Matson and Mena Scott at the Arden firefighters open house and BBQ in Arden on September 8

On Sept. 1, Captain Jeff Matson, who has been a volunteer fire fighter for 30 plus years, flipped the burgers at Arden's Station #1, where members of the community braved the rain and winds to enjoy a free lunch and to get to know the local volunteer fire fighters in their community.

The fire fighters set up a number of displays to acquaint the public with their gear, which included their bunker gear, tools for auto extrication, ice and water rescue gear, medical bags and defibrillators. They opened up the rescue unit #15 truck, a vehicle that houses living quarters for volunteers when they are out on a call and require relief when fighting fires. Also on view was their class A pumper, which can hold 1000 gallons of water. Mixed with foam it can be transformed into 4000 gallons.

The fire fighters also answered questions from the public regarding burn bans and general safety. Fire fighter Leigh Baese said that the fire fighting team is like a second family and said that the event is a great way for the public to get to know their local fire fighters. The fire fighters will be continuing their Alarm for Life campaign, where they visit homes door to door to ensure the dwellings are equipped with working fire alarms for the upcoming winter season.