HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-04-09, Page 22 News Record • Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Cooke retiring after 32 years of firefighting in Central Huron
Chief's contribution
to community
immeasurable
Gerard Creces
Clinton News -Record
It's time to say goodbye.
Central Huron Fire Chief Steve Cooke
has decided to retire after 32 years on the
department. Cooke, who first started out
in 1986, has been chief for 10 years, and
deputy chief for about 10 years prior to
that.
It's in his blood. Cooke's father was also
a firefighter. He said he first signed up as
a volunteer because it sounded like an
interesting thing to do and a good service
for the community. Little did he know
that would lead to more than three dec-
ades of invaluable community service.
When he started, firefighters wore hip
boots, long trench coats, a light plastic
helmet and a pair of work gloves. In the
days before pagers, you headed to the fire
hall as soon as you heard the siren, he
said.
Most of the training was done on the
job, at a time when there were more barn
fires than anything else. While he said he
doesn't remember exactly what his first
call was, it was likely a barn fire or a false
alarm.
The department was just starting to do
car accident extractions and no medical
calls at all. While they are still few and far
between these days, the department is
much better prepared to handle those
calls now.
Cooke's interest in the fire department
grew and he said he did a lot of reading
on the side, as well as signing up for
courses at the fire college, which was
fairly new at the time. The extra studying
paid off - both for Cooke and for Central
Huron.
Being a firefighter comes with many
challenges and personal sacrifices, and
accepting the responsibility means being
ready to serve at a moment's notice.
"You have to know that Christmas Eve
you maybe going to a call," he said. "Or at
some dinner you may have to jump up in
the middle or
As an example, he said once while at a
town function the call came out and the
fire department got up to fight a lumber
yard fire still in their suits.
Of course, families also have to accept
the role of the firefighter, which is not an
easy task, wondering if their loved ones
are okay after responding to a middle of
the night call. And firefighters also bene-
fit from the support of each other.
"Over the years you see a lot of things
and do a lot of things - not all pleasant by
any means but we get through them," he
said. "We watch each other all the time.
The camaraderie is really strong. There
may be a lot of chirping but deep down
the support is there."
There rules of engagement for a fire-
fighter to risk a lot to save a life, risk a little
to save savable property, and to risk noth-
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Notice to residents in the Municipality of Bluewater
The Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) will commence the 2014 Spring flushing
of watermains for the Municipality of Bluewater Mondays to Fridays as follows:
Hensall Distribution System - April 14th to April 18th
Zurich Distribution System - April 21st to April 25th
Bluewater Distribution System (including Bayfield) - April 28th to May 16th
You may experience discoloured water coming from your tap. If this happens, we
suggest you try the following:
- remove the tap aerators off your taps and flush the cold water house lines
until it runs clear.
- flush out your hot water tanks. This is to remove the accumulated iron that
precipitates out in the tank; this iron may also decrease the efficiency of your
water tank.
You may experience lower than normal pressure as a result of the flushing activities.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
OCWA will continue to work on the flushing programs to ensure consumer
satisfaction.
Dave Kester
Manager of Public Works
Municipality of Bluewater
519-236-4351
Ontario Clean Water Agency
519-274-9242 or
519-274-0997
Central Huron Fire Chief Steve Cooke and his mother
Bea, pose for a photo after Cooke's receiving the
Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
ing for non -savable life or property. However, fire-
fighter safety is their primary concem.
"We are prepared to go out on a limb in certain
circumstances to obviously save a life," he noted.
"And to a lesser extent to expose ourselves to a little
more to save savable property"
For advanced stage structure fires where they
aren't sure if there is anyone inside, firefighters may
do a rapid attack with a hose line - knocking down
the fire enough to do a partial search, getting back
out safely and regrouping if necessary.
"If it's obviously the building is gone and there is
no chance of rescue or recovery we have to look after
ourselves," he said.
The toughest calls tend to be multiple fatality car
accidents, he said. At those times, they ask for volun-
teers for the work. The hard part, Cooke said, is wait-
ing until the coroner comes to give the go-ahead.
Taking such difficult calls takes its toll on firefight-
ers. While it may not bother someone the first or
even the fifth time, Cooke said the effect is
cumulative. Being able to talk about those difficult
calls with fellow firefighters is indispensible for sup-
port. The department has lost one firefighter over
the years, Doug Cantelon, who had a heart attack
attending a grass fire more than 10 years ago. A
memorial for Cantelon is still at the fire hall.
Every firefighter has "the big one" over the course
of their careers, Cooke said. The latest for him was
the Salvation Army fire in downtown Clinton in
2010, though there have been other notable blazes,
including a mill fire and a hotel fire in downtown
Clinton.
"There was no loss of life in it;" Cooke said of the
Salvation Army fire. "It was just a huge fire in a diffi-
cult position:'
But, there are plenty of smaller blazes as well, and
everyone remembers them differently, whether how
hot the fire was or how fast it went up. Central Huron
firefighters also responded to the Seaforth Foodland
fire last year, part of their mutual aid agreement with
surrounding municipalities.
As far as preparing for the job, Cooke said you can
take all the training, learn all of the equipment and
study safety points as much as possible, but experi-
ence is the best teacher of all.
While rookies are all anxious for their first call, as
soon as it's done you are waiting for the second one,
he said.
The first thing any new firefighter needs to realize
is it gets in your blood.
"You're going to hate a lot of the things you have
to do but you're going to love every minute you're
doing it," he said. "The bottom line is these people
are there to put their life on the line."
When he retires at the end of this month, he won't
be sitting down twiddling his thumbs. He's got a
piece of property to play with and a lot of puttering,
he said.
"I'll miss is," he said of retiring from the depart-
ment. "I'm proud of all the people that have served
the Clinton Fire Department over the years and I'm
proud of the fire department as it is.
"They are all my heroes:"
The Central Huron Fire Department may be one
hero less after April 30, Cooke's retirement date, but
the community is equally proud of his work, his ded-
ication and his decades of leadership and commu-
nity service.
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