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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1973-08-23, Page 15Crouruad. die woo* boom is year t.leaawM Sauer. Matthaei Adeoeco- T Imes and Moog Forest cook* devote is read by =Ms Flo in the "` heats led of litaitrosters cowrie. 411asoil ea sa readers lu omen $; ? hua<os• publish.d •v.ry wink in Tigt Ustow.I Baer, Thy Winghassi Advonc and The Mem. Forret {Confederate- by Wenger Bros. Limited, olun' The " y� y / Amer # e�y pat vide ti for more thani any other time of year. We are lucky in this iirea to have dedicated and efficient volunteer e(parrtnnentato prevent Area', from gam buildings and other 'Properties to the point of total devastation, and more aim- • Portant,to save lives of people who may. be trapped by fires The oritum ]�h i E,{,/�y, Mount Forest and Rerriston fire depart-. tents are always prepared for the call in the event of fire. All ere equipped, r manned and trained for those emerg cies that require , speed and k velar edge. • ytDepsrinteet The Myth. Fire Department has a total. of 20 fire fighters: 16 volunteers and four auxiliary members. Fire Chief Irvin Bowes says when the fire alarm sounds the'fi erne n rush immediately to the fire hall in the Village of Blyth. The first men there write the location of the fire on the blackboard in.the hall so that the other firemen ,con leave quickly for the sight of the emergency as soon as they arrive at the hall. The emergency telephone eer fire de number is one that, you might want to remember. It is 5234211 and it rings at five residences and one ulness location. Chief Bowes has three officers who ablyaid lunI in the running of the . fire department. The of- ficers are Captain Jim Howson, Lieutenant John Ife s srelwood and Lieutenant Edward, Watson. Secretary -treasurer of the. department' is Mr. Hes wood. P• Areas of Service The Blyth department serves a' large district comprised of the Town of Blyth, Ifullett Township, nts ar Morris Towoihip, Mem Township, Wawanosh the vil- lage* es of Aub Auburn and .. s well asother areas. Also under ,the fire crtment's area at service are . four reforestation plois�• Fora rural call a maximum el Io men go to the scene, with tea vehicles: _ .. onetanker r and one : ` tial If lire pumper, the � eK prove la be of a serieus nature, the Wingha ni or Seaforth tankers are called in. While out on call the vehiclees keep in tonstant touch with: tin headquarters in Blythe to .report developments. Lam Bolger S23 radio gator, a radio electronic* technician. Chief, Bowes is also an eleetre cs tech nicaau and although Mr. Bolger is usually the amain radio operator,. Mr. Bowes says, "most Of aur. other men are trained to use the radio," . -EqtiiiiinVt utilized by, thilire department consists of a certified b 625 triple . vombmation pumper vehicle which was built in Irk, a 1967 model tanker which varrriees_ 1,100 galled, of weter and an old. pumper made m 1927 Which lips 420. gallons of water per minute. The Blyth 'Fire Depart. ment is one of the reasons citi- zens living in this area can feel ;a little mere confidentthat when fire does break.' out it can be brought under control more quickly and safely. - The Hairtston Volunteer Fire tion of Chief Carl Heipel. Mr. ilingelphelims: there are /0 17en 0,0 ,Ithe firefighting; force, not count- . FiDere PDeutiTarCtiniliefent°IfstIZAHarrwevtaistheen, while Captabi Percy Bean rounds out the. list of officers, The ibrriston forte usually sends a astacnaudar, deodeighppt 2:deo owilittuto aaneiwoe4r9 'pumper and A 1930 tank truck which holds 1;000 gallons, A 1960 Pontiac station wagon also is sent a full of first aid and other equip- inent in vase it is needed. The station wagon is loaded at two. sets Of aimed* and other a montlidePari te:rillgente0PraPnictillit°6ca EtrstPampeii' As part of the equipment at the Wingham atatioe is a 1937 fire truck which has the mina engine and boasts the fact that i is still in good operative condi tion. Chief Crothers says, "It * one of.the.first pumpers around and the first one Wingham ever had." ' Ile added, "That's an Y antique, now." The two-way radio in the Wing ham station teronto auxiliary power automatically in the even of a storm hindering electricity thereby being extremely de pendable and always. ready for e call. The Wingham department tin - ploys -ploys two telephones, ono for- sonaLcalllsand, the emerge cY number 357-x134, The Winglxam and District Vol- unteer Fire Department is always prepared for . those dreaded', emergencies,,, another fighting force in the are* against • fire. Mount Forest Depart ►ent . Fifteen men under the .dreg; :tions of Chief Rod Truax serve the districts of the Townshipof Egre moat,. the Township . of Wes Luther, part of Normanby Town p and part!oArthur �To�ip to bring the firemen into, the sta- *tion. A. usual procedtwe is to wood six men with two trucks tw , sometimes three out on cell. If it 1. is neceseary more mai are sent - out, Emergency number for Mount Forest's . 'department - 2.32-2121, Aside from fighting fireti the department also eonducts in- service inspections of ..schoolst • hospitala, factories. and nursing , homes twice a year. The term in- t service is applied due to the. fact .! that the emergency vehicles art taken along in case a comet through the. radio. Ilome inspec- tions are conducted upon renuelt,,' Captain Ray Hunter, now re- tired from the department was, awarded a 30 -year service Medal for his dedicated service'. Cliief Truax has 22 year* Of experience with the department, Before Mr, . T.ritax became fire chief, Lorne . Brett had the duty front 110 to • 1970 and before that the late .DonaldllfacIntoSh held the paid- , tion of toP offirer_,_ - When the Fire' atarsbal began standardizing all equipment, the MeUnt Forest department did net ° came to the hydrants The by - &ants were .standardized When; they WOO first ,intgallido thUS Sailing the thug Mideast when the Fire -Marshal ordered all equip-, ment Standardized -later on. / Stoseislar Dystrophy HaVing been it charter member pi' the Plre Fighters' Assodation • of Ontario since 1001, the Mount Forest Volunteer Fire ment goes beyond the role of fire safety and prevention. For the P014 16 Years the firemen have taken an active part in the collec- tion of funds for the muscular dYstroPhY drive, having collected .almost $000 for the good cause this year. Other departments in the are* * have *Ise taken responsibility in the fight against e muscular . dyst Y, an indication of their great part in the communities not onlY as fire fighters, but humanitaliarie 'as well. not Efforts The time and KOWA Ot the members' of aix volunteer fire departments in the area are invaluable and greetly precieted by the residents The majority of the volunteers maintain full4ime day jobs as well u keeping up witb their fire drills, meetings and actual cos- frontations 'with fires. Each of the departments Blyth Mount Forest shotild be ton- gratulated on their fine and herd work in setthig, strong, alert and efficient fire departments to protect us against the destruction of fire, BLYTII FIRE DEPARTMENT—The Blyth: Fire Depart - Mint Is:composed of 16 volunteers and four auxiliary mem. laers, Some of the members are Jim HoWson, Irvin Bowes, Township, Morris Township, Wawanosh and the villages' of Auburn and Londesboiv,,as welt as other areas, The emer- gency number for the Blyth department is 5234211.° (Staff Photo) MOUNT FoResr bEPT. Chief Rod Truax, Rod Thiax, Jr., GarVMcEachern, Nick Plume, Kenny Smith and Ron MeEachern are,lust som6 of the volunteer firemen working to nieke Mount Forest's Fire Department efficient. The volunteer department does more collected monies for the Muscular last 16 years. All of the firefighters well as their firefighting duties. than tight fires, having Dystrophy Pund for the work'at iimie lobs as (Staff Photo) nolnher 33841 Asa° Communications ttons for the Harriaton de- partment are Mr, and Mrs. Lloyd Mallet, who also handle radii) and telephone emergency cow.: munications for Mount Forest lind Palmerston fire depart, meats, the latter tinder the dime- tieti of Chief Jack Toner. Chief %Ape' says the radio in the liaoiston Fire Station is used for contact with all of Wellington COlinty in the event of a fire. iteriii,enibei the Ilarriston Fire and contact them immediately in the eitent of a fire in the Herriston „Wingham Department Two men take calls during the day it theWinKham Fire. Depart - Ment hall. W&n the fire call tontes in to the statioe one of the men throws the switch to set off theSiren bringing the firefighters in Ininutes. Fire Chief Dave Crothers has three fellow officers to assist him With the duties of the Wingham department. Deputy Chief Jim Carr has been with the depart - tient as a volunteer since 1929. The two captains of the force are Norman Cronkwright and Harvey Aitchison. The WinghaM department serves Turnberry, East Wawanosh, Morris Township and nowick, utilizing three mobile radios for contact with the base Station in Wingham. Standard 'procedure is to send eight men ,out on call with one of three puinpers and the tanker. The ninth man stays behind on the telephone and radio, keeping track of all developments until the fire fighters return. A total of 26 men have volun- teered their services for the taUse of fighting fires for the %gingham department. All of the men have daytime jobs, as do all 0$ the volunteers on the Harris - ton, Blyth and Mount Forest fire departments. The men practise every second Monday of the month, going over Precedures with ladders, hose lay, pump operation, rescue work and first aid. Chief Crothers laid down the specificatiOns for a man whe wishes to volunteer his services and time to the Wing - ham departm t. "The volunteer should be sically fit and should have finite education and Interest in refightini." . TI)e, third unit is equipped with 11.\extra cylinders. ft carries a re- suscitator, stretcher, blankets, extinguishers, foam, dry chemi- cal carbon dioxide -and is radio equipped. the dApartment purchased unit three itself after the 1959 convention Of fire fighters. , The fourth unit of the Motmt Forest department carties 1,400 gallons Of watet, 500 feet of two and a half inch hose and 800 feet of one and a. half inch hose. The machine is equipped witli a port- able coventry, a pump and a 1.000 gallon portable canvas tank plus one foam eductor and foam. The unit was purchased by the de:: partment after the 1967 conven- tion. MoUnt Forest's vcdtmteet fire - .men, hold a fire drill twice a month, to go over procedures and check equipment. In the event of an emergency the call goes into Harriston, where Mount Forest's radio is activated and the fire siren is automatically set off by the radio CHIEF CARL 11EIPEL—Fire chief Of ,the Harriston Fire Department is Carl Heipel, assisted•by Deputy Chief Den It Wallace and Captain Percy Bean, all of. Harristo Chid Heipel says the standard procedure for a fire call is o send out eight men with the tank truck and-one'of two riu pers. . Mr. Heipel works full time as a mechanic. „Emergency . phone number for Harriston department is 338-2121. (Staff Photo). WINGHANI(PIRE DEPARTMENT—When not working with the Wingham Fire Deport- ment, Ernie Merkley works full time as a Gulf 00 agent, while Dave Crothersi; fire chief, is a garage opeeator. Harley Gaunt, a pump operator with the department, tAs is Mr. Merktey, Is employed wi;th the Public Utilities Commission in Win haiii St CI • aff Photo)