Saugeen Shores volunteer firefighters have never been busier.
“Our call volume certainly has gone up. This year we’re projecting essentially a call a day. So, somewhere between 350 and 360 calls. Our structure fires have certainly have gone up,” said Saugeen Shores Fire Chief, Ed Melanson.
That’s almost double the amount of fire calls, compared to just five years ago in Saugeen Shores. The rapidly growing community is now at the point they need their own fire training centre to keep their approximately 55 volunteer firefighters ready for anything, says Chief Melanson.
“This gives us the ability to burn inside in a controlled atmosphere, where firefighters are safe but still experience all the things that they would experience inside a home. It gives us the ability to treat it like a two storey fire, or basement, or roof fire. We have so many different options,” said Melanson.
The Saugeen Shores Fire Department’s new Centre for Training Excellence was officially opened today, although training has been taking place since early summer. Ontario’s Solicitor General Michael Kerzner was there to cut the ribbon.
“When a firefighter is well trained it means they can do their job with that much more assurance that they can come home at the end of the day. That’s all we ask, that they come home to their families. At the end of the day, they run into danger when others run away. We want to make sure they’re safe,” said Kerzner, who was touring through Midwestern Ontario today.
The training centre cost $400,000 to build. It will also be used by neighbouring volunteer fire departments.
“At different times we work through the mutual aid system and we work together at different fires. Say we have a larger event, we may have Paisley, or Arran-Elderslie, or Tiverton out at a call. So it works out well working with our neighbors,” said Saugeen Shores Fire Department Port Elgin Station Chief, Jeff Ackert, while giving tours of the new training centre.
Melanson says firefighters were doing training at Bruce Power’s firefighter training centre or inside donated buildings about to be demolished before. He says this structure will suit their needs much better.
“Firefighting is a very dangerous game, and cancer prevention is a very dangerous thing. And it’s at the forefront now. So when we’re able to control what we’re doing, where we’re doing it, and the materials that we burn to make sure that our firefighters are safe, it puts us in a good spot,” said Chief Melanson.
“Having a training facility where they can practice all the scenarios and know what they need to do is critical. So this is great. It just makes sure that we have safe firefighters and a safe community, and that’s what we want,” said Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau.