The Times Advocate, 2005-07-20, Page 22 Exeter Times -Advocate
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Thieves target company vehicles
By Stephanie Mandziuk
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
EXETER — Four differ-
ent business owners
shared an unpleasant
surprise Sunday morning
— their company vehicles
were broken into and
work equipment was
stolen.
Police are investigating
whether the thefts are
connected.
Two vans belonging to a
plumbing company were
entered on Gidley Street.
One van wasn't locked.
The thieves removed
power tools and other
equipment valued at
$5,000.
Another theft occured
on Victoria Street. A
company van, owned by a
local plumber was broken
into and items were
removed.
A cube van parked in
the same driveway had
the padlock cut off with
bolt cutters. Power tools
and other items were
removed, valued at
approximately $5,000.
Across the road on
Carling Street a van and a
brand new truck were
entered. The thieves took
approximately $5,000 in
water testing equipment.
Someone also may have
left behind DNA. Police
were able to locate what
appeared to be blood in
two separate locations. A
sample has been taken
for forensic testing.
Details about a fourth
occurrence involving a
consturction company
were not available.
Huron OPP Const.
George Finch has some
advice for business own-
ers and anyone who may
keep expensive equip-
ment in vehicles.
• Use a permanent
marker or engrave every-
thing you have with your
license plate numer fol-
lowed by (ONT). This
number is registered to
only one person and a
stolen item can easily be
traced back to you.
• Keep your tools in
locked cages inside your
vehicle.
• Spend the money and
invest in a vehicle alarm
system. It can cost you
between $300-450.
• Install outdoor motion
lights on your property.
• Back your vehicle up
against a building when-
ever possible to reduce
the points of entry for
would-be thieves.
Finch says do anything
you can to make it diffi-
cult for robbers and to
slow them down. They
may move on and leave
you and your property
alone.
Huron OPP Const. George Finch looks for fingerprints
on the window of a van following four weekend thefts in
Exeter that may be connected. Below: Finch wipes away
what appears to be a blood sample from a different van.
(photos/Stephanie Mandziuk)
Flood not as
bad as 2000
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
happened too many umes.
EXETER — While it may be small comfort to those
cleaning out their basements after last Saturday's
flood, the flood of July 2000 was worse.
Insurance broker Chris Turner of Thames
Insurance Brokers said while she was handling some
claims Monday morning, it wasn't "a horrendous
amount."
She said several areas were hit but, "It's certainly
nothing as massive as July 9, 2000. But it's still very
devastating."
Unfortunately for those homeowners who experi-
enced damage, Turner said, "In the normal wording
of an insurance policy in Ontario, `flood' is not cov-
ered. What is covered, is if it starts coming up
through your drain or a sewer backup where there's
sewage coming up from the drain ... or the drains
around your foundation malfunction, then you do
have coverage. It's called sewer or drain back-up."
With some insurance companies, the sewer or drain
back-up coverage is included in the policy, while with
some others it's an addition to the policy.
"But `flood' per se is an exclusion," Turner says,
"and I think that's where some people get confused."
If, for example, water comes in through a window
well or cracks in a foundation, it's called seepage and
is not covered.
Turner says Thames Insurance educates its clients
on what type of insurance coverage they have.
She says she's afraid that since there have been so
many floods in Exeter, some insurance companies
will even start excluding sewer back-up coverage
from their policies, a practice that has happened in
some surrounding territories. Turner said different
companies respond in different ways, but some could
stop offering the sewer back-up coverage, while oth-
ers could add substantial premiums.
"Unfortunately I think that's the way the sce-
nario is going for a lot of companies, because it's just
happened too many times."
Vehicle of the future from BMB Flooding in Exeter
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
HURON PARK — From building fire trucks to trail-
ers to the vehicle of the future, BMB Products Limited
of Huron Park is a hive of activity.
Owned by former Brucefield fire chief Bob Wilson,
BMB has been located in Building Four, 407 Canada
Avenue in Huron Park since February 2003.
With 48,000 square feet of manufacturing space,
Wilson said `BMB has been received very well for the
time we've been in business...our name is getting out
there. The big thing is product recognition in a niche
market."
One of the company's main products is custom
designed fire and emergency rescue vehicles. Wilson
said BMB orders a chassis based on customer specifi-
cations then builds the vehicle.
From the time an order is placed until delivery is
around six months, according to Wilson, with the
biggest thing waiting for the chassis to arrive.
The company employs between eight and 10 people
depending on orders.
The vehicle of the future BMB is building is the
Tantum 300 heavy duty electrical utility vehicle.
The vehicle can carry a 1,500 pound payload and
can pull 10,000 pounds for up to 80 kilometres on a
single charge.
Wilson said the Tantum can be shop programmed to
be used at 40 km/h and the uses are "never ending,"
including industrial, golf courses, farms, provincial
parks, military bases, airports and resorts.
The vehicle has a variety of configurations including
a dump box, flat bed or enclosed van and has a base
price of $18,000.
With vehicles shipped around Ontario and the
United States and potential orders from England,
India, Libya and Venezuela, Wilson said "the world is
our marketplace."
Community policing, new fire truck & old tire blitz
By Stephanie Mandziuk
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
LUCAN — A door to
door campaign near
Market Street Park
turned out to be a suc-
cess according to town-
ship councillor Paul
Hodgins.
Last week Hodgins was
joined by members of the
Community Policing
Committee, Lucan Scouts
and Guides and the OPP
Auxiliary.
They formed small
groups and visited about
20 homes and a seniors'
apartment complex in
the area.
The groups informed
residents about vandal-
ism in the park and at
Scout Hall.
Hodgins says many
people are unaware of
the township bylaw set-
ting a 10 p.m. until dawn
curfew at all parks in
Lucan Biddulph.
The volunteers asked
residents to keep an eye
out for vandals and
report suspicious behav-
iour to police by calling
1(888)310-1122.
Messages are recorded
and can be anonymous.
Hodgins says police
can't respond immedi-
ately but all tips will be
followed up in a timely
fashion.
• Lucan's Fire
Department will be get-
ting a new pump truck to
the tune of $333,000 to
replace the current one
which is 25 -years -old.
The new pumper will
arrive in 10-12 months.
• Granton's Fire
Department has decided
to spend it's $25,000
grant from the province
in two ways. Half will be
used for training purpos-
es and the rest will go
towards the purchase of
equipment that is not
part of the current bud-
get.
Lucan's Fire
Department still hasn't
decided how it will spend
its $25,000 share.
• If you have old tires
you want to get rid of
mark Sat. Oct. 15 on
your calendar.
The township is collect-
ing old tires at its main
office site for a nominal
fee, $2-5 per tire
depending on size.
The tires will be taken
to a recycling centre.
Last year 200 tires
were collected by town-
ship staff during the old
tire blitz.
85%
A,J Gaiser
""it Kn kkereale
EXETER - 235-2420
GRAND BEND - 238-8484
CLINTON - 482-3401
Continued from front page
stopped traffic from dri-
ving in the areas. There
were also washouts on
some Usborne roads,
including a couple of areas
where trees had fallen
across the road. The
town's wastewater depart-
ment was also busy, moni-
toring the town's lift sta-
tions.
While some are blaming
the municipality for the
flood, Hockey is trying to
explain to residents that
the municipality's system
"is built for a five-year
storm event. The City of
London is built for a three-
year storm event. When
you get a 25 -year storm
event, you're going to get
overflow."
"We did not cause it to
rain," he said.
On the other hand,
Hockey thanks those resi-
dents who were out on the
streets Saturday afternoon
helping to keep catch
basins clear and cleaning
out debris.
He said such efforts were
"fantastic. This is the kind
of help that we need to
get."
Business
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ONICIPALPTY 0
ATTENTION
South Huron Homeowners
and Tenants
CURBSIDE PICKUP
WATER DAMAGED PROPERTY
Water damaged goods from the July 16 storm
may be placed at curbside for free pickup until
Thursday morning July 21, 2005. The Exeter
landfill site will accept water -damaged property
until Friday July 29, 2005 at no cost.
Ken Betties
Road Superintendent