As councillors here reviewed the December 2011 fire and rescue response report, councillor Jerry Schmidt commented on a large fire on Laird Road early that month.
Puslinch Fire Chief Bob Gordon explained the property owner had raised mink for a number of years. “Some of the little barns were falling down, so he hired someone to come in and tear them down.”
Those individuals thought they could burn the wood material in one big pile.
“Of course people travelling along Highway 6 complained there was a fire.”
Gordon said the department went there twice.
He said the property owner did get a fire permit and knew the rules; however the person hired did not see that permit nor the rules.
Gordon noted the Guelph Fire Department arrived first and when the Puslinch firefighters arrived the materials were knocked down.
Gordon said that not too many days later, the department had to respond again because the hired person had done the same thing again.
“We got him to break it down into small piles so it wouldn’t make as much smoke and disturb everyone. Because the smoke was going right across Highway 6 towards the Sleeman area.”
Schmidt also had questions on the 29 total responses that month, since most were responses to accidents.
“Is that a continuing trend?”
“Fire numbers are very small,” Gordon agreed. “It is a lot of collisions and there will probably be more,” he added.
Councillor Ken Roth said there were three responses to Kerr Crescent for fire alarms.
“If there continue to be false alarms will there be charges?”
Gordon said charges come into play after two false alarms.
Roth also asked why public education was listed as a fire response.
He said on Dec. 10, there was fire department representation for public education at a new business in Aberfoyle.
Gordon said that is one thing the Fire Marshal’s Office considers as a response – public education.
