Puslinch Fire Chief Steven Goode says 2016 was the worst year in township history for fire losses.
In a presentation to council on Feb. 1, Goode said, “2016 was unfortunately, a very busy year for Puslinch Fire and Rescue Services.
“The year started with a devastating fire and loss of barn at Classy Lane. The fire and loss of 43 horses was both physically and emotionally taxing on the department.”
Goode noted 2016 was “the worst year in the township’s history” for fires, with $8 million in damages in structural and vehicle fires.
Goode also referred to the Ellis Road fire on Oct. 1 with a high dollar loss.
He added it is very difficult to estimate fire losses, but for properties, there are formulas used by insurance companies.
“With the Ellis Road fire, we struggled with that,” Goode said.
He added the amount determined was $4.7-million, with outbuilding costs such as hotel stays for 15 individuals, costs of vehicles inside the building and contents.
Following the Classy Lane fire Goode stated that blaze resulted in the highest financial loss in the township’s history.
“Guess what, several months later (the Ellis Road fire) became the largest,” he said. “It has been an awful year for fires.”
Firefighters responded to an average of 29 calls per month throughout the year and spent a fair share of time dealing with motor vehicle collisions.
There were a total of 60 alarms (carbon monoxide and smoke alarms/detectors) investigated by the fire department, compared to 52 last year.
Response time can be critical in rural areas, Good explained, thus the fire department is often called to medical emergencies alongside ambulances. Those calls account for 14% of the department’s responses.
“Prevention and education in the community will certainly help reduce the number of times we have to respond to an emergency,” Goode told council.
Other fires
The other issue is the number of fires in vacant or abandoned buildings in Wellington County.
Puslinch is not immune.
Goode said numerous municipalities are being impacted. He said a committee is formed to look into this, with involvement of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office and OPP detectives to determine the best course of action.
“It is very difficult to investigate these fires. They’ve been total losses and we haven’t had one we were able to save,” said Goode.
He added the fires tend to happen late at night, in buildings located down long laneways. Even though suspicious fires in the region have not been connected “there are commonalities.”
“These fires are being lit in an area without a history of similar incidents. We’re dealing with it.” He added residents and property owners are being asked to remain vigilant and lock buildings or board them up.
He noted one of the things Guelph-Eramosa is doing is having roads crews be on the lookout for suspicious activity.
“We are a special area of interest. If there is a fire which appears suspicious, the fire marshal will investigate immediately.”
