Fire truck donation

County donates surplus fire truck to First Nations community

The First Nations community of Summer Beaver will be receiving a surplus tanker/pumper truck and ancillary equipment thanks to a collaboration between the County Fire Department and the group Firefighters Without Borders Canada. Summer Beaver is located about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and has a population of about 400 people. It is accessible only by air and via an ice road in the winter. Carl Eggiman is a director with Firefighters Without Borders Canada (FWBC) and says over the past 11 years his group has made possible the donation of over 40 emergency response vehicles, including ambulances and fire trucks, as well as about 35 shipping containers of equipment, to First Nations communities in Canada, and to Third World countries. FWBC contacted the County after noticing that there was a surplus fire truck up for auction. The Fire Department quickly received approval from Shire Hall for the donation. “This vehicle would normally go to auction, but when we were presented with the opportunity for it to go to a First Nations community, we leapt at the chance,” said Mayor Steve Ferguson, who was on hand last Wednesday morning at the Picton fire hall to formally present the key of the fire truck to Eggiman. Ferguson noted that this term of council has taken steps to develop strong relations with the Indigenous community, particularly our neighbours in Tyendinaga, and this donation is an extension of those efforts.

(L-R): County Fire Chief Chad Brown stands with Carl Eggiman, a director of Firefighters Without Borders Canada, in front of a pumper/tanker truck that is being donated to the First Nations community of Summer Beaver, in Northern Ontario.

The fire truck is a 1993 model and has been maintained in excellent condition by the County fire department. The truck will be fully equipped and ready for service, and the County donation also includes a positive pressure fan, gloves, boots and coveralls. Deputy Fire Chief Tim Kraemer was very pleased with the donation. “We know from past experience that some First Nations communities do not have adequate fire equipment and we’re hoping this donation will better the lives of communities in northern regions,” he said. Carl Eggiman said this was the sixth vehicle FWBC has arranged to be donated this year. This fire truck and associated equipment will be sent by tractor-trailer to Thunder Bay and then sent via an ice road to its final destination, likely in mid-January when it becomes cold enough. Volunteer firefighters at Summer Beaver will receive training on how to use the equipment. Eggiman noted that Indigenous communities are chronically underfunded when it comes to firefighting equipment, and is aware while these donations are absolutely necessary, it’s a stop-gap measure. “These repurposed vehicles will be saving lives,” he said.

This was incoming Fire Chief Chad Brown’s first week on the job, and he was pleased to make the donation to FWBC. “It’s going to go to a good home and protect another community,” he said. Brown has been involved in fire protection for the past 28 years. He served with numerous volunteer fire departments, and also worked in the Office of the Fire Marshal. He was Deputy Fire Chief in Peterborough and Fire Chief in Mississippi Mills before taking on the Fire Chief’s duties in the County. “I am absolutely honoured to be here and lead this fine organization. This is a great department,” he said. In the near future he will be looking strategies of how to deliver the best service possible, with the particular challenge being the busy summer tourist season. The department will also be looking to replacing fire equipment, some of which is already in the County budget, as some seeking approval as part of life-cycle planning. Equally important is ensuring firefighters are well-trained to respond to emergencies. “We just did a recruitment this year, and I’m happy to say we brought in 10 firefighters. We ran them through NFPA1001 firefighter training and they wrote their exams and are amongst our ranks now.”