Municipalities need provincial support for rural volunteer fire departments
As a court case in Meaford continues, thousands of communities are dealing with high-risk situations with little support from upper tier governments, municipal leaders learned at a recent meeting in Thedford.
Three counties were represented at a summit regarding legal hazards and the dangers of being a volunteer firefighter as municipalities discussed how retaining and funding volunteer fire departments has become a challenge. At last week's gathering, Huron, Lambton and Middlesex counties met for the second time since November.
Mayors, CAOs and fire chiefs from the three counties discussed the impact and differences between fire service delivery between full-time urban versus rural volunteer departments especially in emergency rescue situations.
A recurring message at this conference is the need for the province and its ministries to become pro-active in supporting the needs of municipal fire departments in contrast to the frequently occurring scenario of reacting in a fault finding way to negative situations such as firefighters' injuries or deaths.