Similar to the crowds that were experienced through the summer months, the Town of the Blue Mountains' (TBM) council is expecting the winter season to be just as hectic.
“There are going to be people that aren't used to the great outdoors coming here to get away from Toronto. And, with their enthusiasm, they may rush out into the bush, not be properly dressed and may suffer from exposure,” said TBM Mayor Alar Soever. “Are we ready for winter rescues?”
TBM Fire Chief Steve Conn said, in the past, winter rescues have generally been conducted using a small ATV, a trailer and manpower.
“The guys will go as far as they can with the smaller ATV, and then from there, they have to go on foot,” Conn explained. “We do not have tracks for that smaller machine, but if we are travelling on a snowmobile trail that is actively used, then typically the trail is packed hard enough.”
According to Conn, the department also has a larger Kubota RTV, however it is not used very often for trail rescues due to its size and inability to navigate narrow pathways.
“We do not have a snowmobile. Sometimes in the past, we've commandeered snowmobiles and firefighters have gone with the owner of the snowmobile to speed up the access,” said Conn.
However, he says rescues conducted with snowmobiles are not always the best solution.
“Towing the people, whether it be on a skid or that type of thing, behind the snowmobile it is not the best for the risk of re-injury, especially if they have a back or neck issue or broken bones,” he said.
Currently, TBM’s winter trail response generally consists of travelling as far as possible with the small ATV and then travelling further on-foot with a small trailer that holds a stretcher and Stokes basket (a type of splint stretcher for immobilizing a patient). The small trailer is also mounted with flotation tires (wider and creating less friction) to soften the ride for patients.
“We're seeing the larger numbers coming to our area that aren't familiar with the dangers and the overwhelming ability to get lost in some of these wilderness areas,” said TBM CAO Shawn Everitt. “Over the last number of months and through this pandemic, I know that the volunteer fire department has seen a lot of different calls. I know they're very, very busy.”
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Conn also reports that TBM’s fire department has altered its operations and service delivery to reflect proper pandemic protocols.
“We've minimized the crews on the truck; moved to the protocols of wearing masks and disinfecting the trucks after each call; keeping distancing between us and members of the public when we can,” Conn said. “We also have a COVID-screening tool, that is very similar to what the EMS department uses, to know whether the patient we are looking after has COVID and what protocols we need to take, whether we can still use our masks or whether we need to use a more specific mask for those for those calls.”
Conn was on hand at the TBM Committee of the Whole meeting that was held earlier today to present council with an update to Bylaw 2012-65: Establish and Regulate a Fire Department.
The bylaw provides information, directives and related definitions for the bylaw, fire department structure, approved services and programs, and fire chief responsibilities and authority.
A copy of the draft bylaw can be found in the staff report FAF.20.177.
TBM council is expected to confirm the draft bylaw at a council meeting scheduled for Nov. 16 and the related public meeting is scheduled for Dec. 14.
Everitt also noted that the town has plans to review TBM's Fire Master Plan in 2021, which will allow for further public consultation around the activities of the TBM fire department.
“I do think that through the fire master plan, that will be an opportunity to really identify the work that we do,” Everitt said. “We're really looking forward to the public consultation through the fire master plan process.”
