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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-06-02, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011. PAGE 7. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) could be improving in the coming year throughout Huron County, specifically around Blyth and Central Huron. Emergency Services chief David Lew was asked by Central Huron Council to present some facts about Emergency Medical Services in Huron County for the benefit of new councillors, as well as speak about the future of the department. He was able to make his presentation at May 26’s Committee of the Whole meeting. Lew told councillors that under the new restructuring of the department, emergency service coverage will span further with the proposed first response vehicles. The first response vehicles are trucks with one paramedic stationed throughout the county, as opposed to the more conventional ambulance carrying two paramedics. Lew said that the first response vehicles will not be able to provide the complete service that an ambulance can, but due to an increased presence in the county, the first response vehicles will be able to reach victims quicker. This will allow the paramedic to stabilize the victim until an ambulance can be on scene, which will help with response times, and ultimately save people’s lives. Currently there are four EMS bases (Wingham, Goderich, Tuckersmith and Exeter) and three posts (Brussels, Bayfield and Ashfield). Under the new proposal, Lew said, instead of each post having an ambulance staffed with two paramedics, there will be several first response vehicles with three additional posts added, one of which would be in Blyth. Under the current plan, which has yet to be finalized, the vehicle added in Blyth will be a first response vehicle through the summer months while a fully-staffed ambulance will sit in Bayfield. For the rest of the year, those vehicles will switch, Lew says, simply because of statistics. Lew says that two thirds of Bayfield’s annual number of calls happen over the summer months, so it is essential that an ambulance is in that area between May and October. For the rest of the year, the ambulance would be in Blyth, which would provide a faster response for emergencies in the northern end of Central Huron. Councillor Alex Westerhout said that while he didn’t necessarily disagree with the decision, Lew should be prepared for questions from residents of Blyth and northern Central Huron as to the decision to There was a very good crowd in attendance at Knox United on Sunday to hear guest speaker Brenda Empey share her experiences as a volunteer this past winter with Friends of the Orphans Canada (FOTOCAN). FOTOCAN is a non-profit organization that, through donations and volunteer projects, provides children at the NPH Orphanage in the Dominican Republic with food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. This year the funds raised by Brenda’s group were used to complete playground construction, work in the library, school supplies shelving for the warehouse, sidewalk construction and contributions towards children’s birth certificate papers. From her pictures we could see that the children were very happy to receive the clothing and blankets that Brenda had taken with her to distribute to the orphans, and were also very delighted to meet Bugsy. Following the service, the UCW provided a delicious lunch and a time of fellowship was enjoyed by all. The Auburn Horticultural Society will be meeting on June 14 at the home of Karen Redmond at 7 p.m. and will be inviting members of the Auburn Playground Committee to attend. Plans are in the works for a Village Pumpkin Party set to take place on Oct. 29. More details will be released as they become available. It will be great to get together as a community for another fun event this fall. The Auburn Playground Committee is pleased to announce that they have recently received a generous donation of $500 from the Auburn Women’s Institute. The Playground Committee is very thankful to all of the community organizations that have made donations or lent a hand during events. This donation will put the total funds raised at approximately $18,000. The committee has been working diligently for months now, attempting to raise funds for this community betterment project. Fourteen members and two guestswere present at the Auburn Hall forthe May 19 meeting of the AuburnWomen’s Institute. President Erma Cartwright welcomed everyone and opened the meeting with the Ode, Mary Stewart Collect and ’O Canada. Minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. Eight members hope to attend the 100th anniversary celebration of Belgrave Women’s Institute on Tuesday, June 7. Donations were approved to Christian Blind Mission and to the Auburn Playground Committee. Some members donated articles for London Children’s Hospital. Gwen Bidwell was in charge of the program and made a very interesting presentation on the earlyhistory of the Murray Dryden family.When his family were grown he andhis wife Margaret, travelled and their travels took them to India. They both became very distressed when they saw children there sleeping in the streets and having no beds. This concerned them so much that in 1970 they set up a registered charity called “Sleeping Children Around the World” S.C.A.W. This is an amazing 100 per cent to charity. Every cent of the donations go to the funds. All of the operation is carried out by volunteers. The cost of a bed kit is $35. The contents of the kits are appropriate for the country in which they are distributed. These Auburn WI meets Blyth vehicle will reduce travel time Committee hits $18,000 raised Do I hear two? Karen Redmond calls out the items and takes the bid during her time as an auctioneer for the Auburn Horticultural Society’s plant auction in Auburn on Monday, May 16. The event is the sole fundraiser for the group which operates on the auction funds as well as a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. (Denny Scott photo) • Shrubs • Bedding Plants • Fruit Trees • Vegetable Plants • Garden décor • Red Maple Trees • Fruit Trees Also: • Vegetable Seeds • Seed Potatoes • Lawn mowers • Barbecues • Lawn chairs • Peat Moss/Mulch • Fertilizer • ...and so much more! Gorgeous Hanging Baskets starting at... $999 Flower Flats selected varieties $999 Spring Greenhouse Specials County Road #25, Auburn 519-526-7262 Auburn Co-op Check out our great selection of hardy, colourful... NEWS FROM AUBURN By Koreen Moss 519-526-1060 kandkmoss@ sympatico.ca PEOPLE AROUND AUBURN ON $6.00 THURSDAYS Drop into either of our offices any Thursday with your word classified (maximum 20 words) and pay only $6.00 + HST (paid in advance). That’s $1.00 off regular rates. The Citizen Continued on page 11 By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Continued on page 20