It’s going to be harder for the Puslinch Fire Department to deal with truck fires.
On Oct. 19 Puslinch Fire Chief Bob Gordon told councillors he has received direction from Wellington County that the department is not to take vehicles to the landfill anymore.
The request came from an incident earlier this year where the local fire department responded to a truck on fire.
Gordon told council he had just received the notice earlier that day.
Mayor Dennis Lever asked what the alternative is in such a situation.
“The closest place is near Mount Forest … but how you drive a truck on fire to Mount Forest … I don’t know,” Lever said.
The only solution, Gordon said, “is to keep putting water on it until the Ministry of Environment decides what to do with it.” He said it was the ministry that was upset the fire department responded to a fire at the landfill.
In a later telephone interview with the Wellington Advertiser Gordon explained that over the years, the department has attended numerous truck fires.
“There’s usually at least one per year,” Gordon said.
He said the incident that sparked the concern was a truck fire that was transporting a load of scrap cars. In the past, the department was able to take those vehicles to the local dump.
With that option gone, the department can only fight a fire, but not have the vehicle removed to a dump.
“There is no approved place to take the vehicles anymore,” Gordon added.
He added the OPP will also need to be apprised of the situation.
