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The Citizen, 2013-03-28, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013. PAGE 11. After Huron East Council’s decision to nix a $300,000 truck for the Seaforth station of the Huron East Fire Department from the 2013 budget, the issue was back up for debate at council’s March 19 meeting and the discussion was not without fireworks. Councillor Bill Siemon took particular offense to many of the reasons provided by Huron East Fire Chief Marty Bedard as to why a $300,000 truck was needed in Seaforth when council just purchased a new truck for the Brussels station of the Huron East Fire Department for $170,000. Many of Bedard’s reasons surrounded the safety of the firefighters riding in the truck, which to Siemon, meant that Brussels firefighters are riding around in anunsafe truck.Bedard said that his presentationhad almost been made irrelevant as he sat through budget deliberations just minutes before in which council decided not to include the truck in the 2013 budget. Bedard’s report recommended the inclusion of the truck in the budget, and if not the complete amount, then that a significant contribution be made to reserves in preparation for the truck’s purchase in 2014. While explaining the cost, Bedard said that he and Seaforth Chief Tom Phillips had spoken with dealers and it was suggested that $300,000 be set aside for what the department was looking for. Mayor Bernie MacLellan said that council’s justification for seeking further information on the truck’s price was that it was nearly double what was paid for a truck inBrussels.He said that if there was ajustification for the extra cost, he would be more than happy to hear it so he could understand, but without hearing that, council was uncomfortable going ahead with the recommendation. Siemon said that since Brussels firefighters provide first medical response and Seaforth doesn’t, if anything, Brussels provides a more extensive service than Seaforth, but with far less. “Brussels is a first responder, Seaforth is not a first responder,” Siemon said. “I think this comes down to the difference between men and boys and the size of their toys.” Bedard said that there isn’t much equipment associated with first medical response, so that wouldn’t make much of a difference, but that Seaforth firefighters are indeed nottrained in first response.MacLellan said that councilneeded to decide if each of its three fire departments had different needs or if the services should be equal from station to station. Phillips, who was at the meeting, said that both the $170,000 Brussels truck and the proposed $300,000 Seaforth truck carry the same equipment, but that the Seaforth truck will have to carry more wood for cribbing, as the Seaforth station has to operate in a greater number of fields than the Brussels station does. He said that the new truck will last between 20 and 30 years, which is what the Seaforth firefighters deserve. He said that the department wants a Smart Cab in its truck, which has rollover protection to save firefighter lives in the event of a rollover, something that the Brussels truckdoes not have.“These guys deserve that type ofprotection,” Phillips said. “These guys don’t get paid much.” Siemon, however, felt that it didn’t make much sense for the Seaforth department to need safety measures that Brussels didn’t feel it had to take. All of the municipality’s firefighters should be protected, he said, so if a feature needs to be on a Seaforth truck, he said, it makes sense that it should be on the Brussels truck too. “Does the Brussels truck have rollover protection?” he asked. “Then it’s an unsafe truck” he said after being told that it doesn’t. MacLellan asked Bedard to prepare a report and that council now has a year to weigh the options and decide on a truck. Councillor questions safety of Brussels fire truckBy Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen • Renovations • New Homes • Sales & Installation of Windows & Doors Call Ken 519-887-9857 Brussels, ON C&P PORTABLE TOILETS Teeswater 1-800-834-4414 Ph: 519-392-8474 Fax: 519-392-6168 * Regular Units * Deluxe Units - sink / flush * Handwash Stations * Wedding / Special Event Units * Wheelchair/Infant Care Units * Comfort Station Trailer C&P - for people who are out and “going”! Convenient for your outdoor event! Always clean & fresh. 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