Mayor Robert Kirby asked Fire Chief Bryce Luker for a status report on East Hawkesbury Township’s fire department.
“A lot of our stuff is aging,” Mayor Kirby said during the February 10 session of township council. “I’d like you to bring a (status) report and see where we are going.”
Fire Chief Luker agreed, adding that he has already spoken to the township’s chief administrator, Luc Lalonde, about preparing briefs on the state of the fire department, its equipment and personnel, including short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals for improvements and upgrades.
Mayor Kirby also asked Chief Luker to provide details on how well-equipped he thought the department is for dealing with fire and other emergency calls under severe conditions, like extreme cold winter weather.
During the February council session, Chief Luker presented the year-end summary of fire department calls for 2024. The department received a total of 94 calls during the past year. They included 12 calls to deal with actual fire incidents, for a total of $8000 in property damage.
The department also received eight calls dealing with medical aid requests, including three that involved providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Another five calls dealt with situations involving possible carbon monoxide poisoning, and two calls during the past year saw firefighters assist in dealing with downed power lines.
