Calls might be down lately, but that does not mean the Puslinch Fire Department hasn’t been busy.
In his Sept. 21 council report, Fire Chief Bob Gordon said in the past month calls have been way down.
“We’re not even making one every other day,” he said.
One councillor wondered in jest if that meant the department would be laying off.
Mayor Dennis Lever said the department has hired five new people in the last six months.
One item from the fire report that caught his eye was a fire in a tree next to the community centre tennis court.
Gordon said the tree’s branches go right up into the nearby high tension wires. “It was that windy night and the trees were sparking.”
Hydro crews came down, but they did not do anything, Gordon said. He suggested whoever looks after the tree or the wires should look into getting the tree cut a bit.
Lever asked how the fire department typically responds when there is a fire in a tree near high tension wires.
“You have to use the widest nozzle you can,” Gordon responded. “If the droplets are well broken up, you won’t get a shock. But if the branches are right on the wires – no, we wouldn’t [spray].”
Gordon explained the risks are less if a complete fog nozzle is used on the hose “… or you’ll definitely get a shock.”
As for the Aug. 10 call, Gordon said the fire was out by the time the fire department arrived.
Department open house
Lever said the other comment on his list was in regard to the Oct. 1 open house and pancake breakfast.
He invited councillors to come to the breakfast. “Anyone can look around, ask questions. They’ll be a bunch of us around to answer questions. You are all definitely welcome.”
Lever noted he and councillor Ken Roth are members of the local Optimist Club and are used to cooking for a lot of other people.
“It will certainly be nice to be on the other side of the spatula,” Lever said.
Other activity
Gordon said members of the department were also scheduled to take part in the Sept. 24 community open house at Nestlé Waters and the family fun day at Sunrise Therapeutic Equestrian Centre.
Lever asked if the time for both events would be included as public education. Gordon said it would.
Councillor Wayne Stokley later mentioned the tiered response exercise Puslinch firefighters were involved in recently.
“I was impressed with the way the firemen handled it,” he said.
The test involved taking water from a gravel pit and bringing it back to the fire station. It was part of a test to achieve residential and commercial accreditation.
“They ran into some complications, but they were thinking on their feet all the time,” Stokley said.
He said in the water transfer, they had some wrong equipment and had to rig up a way to make it work.
“That’s why we like to practice,” Gordon said. “To work these things out beforehand. We have to do that test again next summer.”
Lever said the test was for the tanker shuttle service accreditation. He noted the issue came up a few years ago with his own business insurance policy.
“The difference in having that accreditation and not having it was a difference of $250 a year. It makes a big difference,” Lever said.
Gordon said insurance companies telephone quite often to determine if the township has the accreditation.
Other departments involved in the test included Hamilton, Cambridge and Guelph.
Stokley said it was good to see all the departments working together.
