Mapleton is exploring outsourcing some specialty fire rescue services in the new year.
Presenting to Mapleton council this week, Mapleton Fire Chief Chris Harrow said the Mapleton Fire Department will no longer offer specialty rescue services in 2026, as they don't have enough firefighter hours available to train and provide the service.
Core services like auto extrication, fire suppression, etc., will continue.
"It just takes a significant amount of time for firefighters to train and to become certified to be able to perform those disciplines," said Harrow in a follow-up interview with EloraFergusToday. "There's so much time demand on our firefighters right now, it's not something they have the ability to do at this time."
Specialty rescue services include water rescues, ice rescues, high-angle rescues, trench rescues and confined space rescues, which involve tight spaces like manholes, granaries or silos.
Specialty training currently takes approximately 160 hours, not including the additional 40 hours of training required to maintain certification annually.
"It comes down to the firefighters. We ask so much of them and they only have so much time to train and provide services to the community," said Harrow. "So we have to be careful of how much we're asking of them."
Going forward, Harrow said the department is working on developing an agreement with another department in the area that will offer specialty services to Mapleton, Wellington North and Minto, which disbanded its specialty rescue team in September 2024.
Harrow anticipates these gaps will likely be filled in by Centre Wellington Fire Rescue, which currently offers specialty water rescue services, or the Guelph Fire Department, which is the closest option for confined space services.