Eastern Ontario fire department equips vehicle with versatility for year-round response capabilities
What can you expect when you’re expecting a baby in a blizzard in the eastern Ontario village of Merrickville-Wolford?
With help from a Safe Community grant from Enbridge, mothers-to-be stuck in the snow can now count on safe transportation to the hospital in the fire department’s new off-road vehicle, outfitted to navigate winter storms.
One mother’s grisly experience proved the catalyst to purchasing the vehicle.
“We had a terrific snowfall here and needed to take (a woman in labor) to the hospital,” says fire chief Bob Foster. “We managed to get her there, but it was a nerve-racking response for the firefighters. There were around 40 centimetres of snow. It was touch-and-go to make it to the hospital.”
The situation confirmed for Foster that his team of 28 volunteer first responders needed a vehicle suitable to navigate the harsh winter conditions in the village south of Ottawa, as they assist paramedics in removing patients from areas inaccessible to conventional patient transport. At the same time, the fire department also needed a vehicle to improve its capacity to fight summertime brush fires, common in the rural catchment area of about 200 square kilometers.
Knowing the department couldn’t afford two vehicles, Foster engaged the community to raise funds to purchase a used pickup truck and outfit it with attachments to meet both needs.
A $10,000 Safe Community grant from Enbridge allowed the fire department to purchase the winter attachments:
- a system to anchor the truck when pulling another vehicle out of deep snow or icy waters;
- a cap for the back of the truck to transform it into an interior compartment; and
- a storage space for ice water rescue equipment.
“We’re also in the process of equipping the back of the truck with a Stokes stretcher and a medic seat,” Foster says.
Ken Hall, Enbridge’s Ontario-based senior advisor of public affairs, praises Foster for his resourcefulness.
“What they’ve done to convert the pickup is a very creative application of the funds,” he says. “They could have bought two specialized vehicles that would cost a lot more money, but instead they came up with a practical alternative.”
The attachments have longevity, too, notes Foster: “In the event of the vehicle meeting its end, we can transfer all of these add-ons onto another vehicle.”
Foster is thrilled with the way the vehicle turned out, and is glad he can give his volunteers better equipment to do their jobs and keep residents safe.
“Volunteer firefighters are people who want to do something extraordinary for their community,” he says. “Our community has supported us through fundraising efforts to make this vehicle more purposeful for the people.
“Working together and cooperating,” he adds, “make a real difference to a small community.”
