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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-01-14, Page 8Page A8 - Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Emergency response met with many helping hands Decorative and Functional Ironwork ' Featuring Unique, Custom Made - Railings* Gates* Furniture* Garden Accessories HAVE YOUR OWN IDEAS MADE INTO REALITY! Strong, Flexible and Enduring Steel For your Home/Cottage/Business/Garden Visit our website at www.workingiron.ca 36854 DUNGANNON RD., DUNGANNON 529-3434 — -- Gerard Creoes - signal -star staff Assess, organize and then react. That's the lesson the Emergency Operations Control Group took from a 16 -hour blackout that left Goderich withoutpower for most of Dec. 28. Making a clear phone tree, as well as hav- ing lists of keyholders both for the generator and the hall would make for a more organized response next time, the group decided. Many of the keyholders for the Parsons Court generator are snowbirds the group said. Finding someone who was able to get the power up and running was difficult, but not impossible, as the town's emergency shelter was up and running within the first two hours of blackout. However, though the shelter was open, the town did not declare a state of emergency. "There was no cri- sis," said Mayor, Deb. Shewfelt. "I want to make that clear." Goderich Hydro, Town Hall and local emergency services VAN RIESFN FINANCIAL SERVICES INC. Ken Van Riesen CEP CLU CH.F.C. CHARTERED FINANCIAL CONSULTANT 1NTEKGL01IE Financial Services Corp. • o p- • Estate Planning • Retirement Planning • Wealth A cwnulation • Business Succession Planning Get Your Money Working So You Don't Kase To! Steven Preszcator INSURANCE AND INVESTMENT ADVISOR \1 i!1iHHI tipliwOii .-7)1 ¶ i-4:--;`_'-7(i:�`_' 3 DAYS ONLY rFriday, Jan. 16, 10 ip, Saturday, Jan. 17, 9 - 4 gi Sunday, Jan 18s 12 - 4 j EVERYTHING STOREWIDE. ON SALE! Toys, TV's, Electronics and More ! Just west of Clinton on Bayfield Road! 482-9364 were flooded with calls Sunday, though there were very few answers to be given. The power outage had people in the dark about informa- tion as well. Due to flooding, the backup transmitter at Goderich's only radio station, 104.9 The Beach FM was down, and while this de- layed the spread of information, CKNX out of Wingham broadcast news about the power outage - including the warming shelter set up at Knights of Columbus Hall. While the transmitter flooding was an iso- lated incident, the EOCG said the melt, com- bined with the power failure, may not be as uncommon as people think. "This is the third one we've had in less than ten years," said Shewfelt. Town staff, volunteers and local businesses all pitched in to make sure people had access to heat and a hot meal. Mayor Shewfelt re- marked he was pleased with the young people who stopped at the shelter tt dick up hot coffee to bring to seniors who couldn't make the trip. Meanwhile, Goderich Hydro workers had to wait for the okay from Hydro One - which came around 4 p.m. - before they were able to lend a hand getting the power back up. "Our crew was here within minutes," said clerk -administrator Larry McCabe. "But our crews can't just go out to find and fix the prob- lem." Emergency personnel like fire and police were kept busy during the initial hours of the blackout, as alarms rang out all across town. Police responded to a total of eight false alarms Sunday, including a medical emergen- cy alarm at the courthouse. The fire department had three false alarms. Only one motor vehicle accident took place with the traffic lights down, despite the placing of temporary stop signs at major intersections. In instances where the power fails and traf- fic lights are out, those intersections are to be treated as four-way stops. The EOCG advises the public to keep a bat- tery operated radio with local stations clearly marked to stay informed in the event of an- other prolonged power failure. It was also recommended houses store enough emergency provisions to last three days. Union urges members to reject contract Denny Arteeti signal -star staff "It's an incident of the abuse of a few ruining it, they want to'paint us all with the same brush," explained Steve Frayne, a probation parole officer (PPO) in Goderich. A coming vote for a provincial contract for correctional officers lumps everyone in the system to- gether, he said, and that just won't work. The Ontario Public Service Em- ployees Union (OPSEU), which represents corrections officers and PPOs is urging members to vote against the contract, which they are labelling as punitive and not a fair deal. The contract calls for sick time to be `applied' for through a private insurance carrier, which means many employees may have their sick time and pay rejected. "We don't support the whole idea of 'putting our sick time plan into private industry," Mark Ryan, an- other PPO explained. "[As proba- • tion parole officers] our sick time is quite admirable, but we're part of the greater union. We're under the Correction's Bargaining Unit." With the government looking to crack down on sick days, negotia- tions are at a stand -still. Frayne, Ryan and other PPOs staged an information picket in front of their East Street offices Monday, providing information and statistics regarding correctional of- ficers, including breakdowns of age, gender, and several startling facts Paddy O'NeiI's. All You Can Eat Ribs Succulent Ribs including roasted potatoes, coleslaw and dinner rolls $12.99 ONLY... Every Thursday Dine In Only 5:00 - 8:00 PM 677.• 92 .The Square Goderich Phone: 519-5247337 about their short life expectancies, suicide rates, marital status and their likelihood to develop a chemi- cal dependency. Both explained how there is al- ready a process in place that re- quires managers to report properly on sick time. "They need to deal with the abus- ers, and not penalize everyone," Frayne said. Both . PPOs and correctional of- ficers have been without a contract since Dec. 31. There are approximately 1,000 PPOs nation-wide, and they deal with every kind of offender. Any- one who has under a two-year jail term, or has been a federal inmate and is now a provincial inmate is dealt with by PPOs, whether their crimes are violent, sexual, domes- tic, or drug related. G* i *sati st r •.; s* The Newest Teenager in Town Robbie Franken Happy 13th Birthday! January 18, 2009. Love Mom, Dad, ,Cassidy, Nano*. 4 • # 4.,�,r iwi r �