by Connie Tabbert
Editor
FORESTERS FALLS — There was hope the fire truck would return to the Foresters Falls fire hall Wednesday– but that didn’t happen. Instead, it was returned to the Township of Whitewater Region’s municipal garage for more repairs.
There was nothing in Fire Chief Wayne Heubner’s report about there not being a fire truck in Foresters Falls, and when asked if there was anything to add to his report, he said no.
However, Councillor Daryl McLaughlin questioned at last night’s council meeting when the truck would be returned to the Foresters Falls fire hall.
“I’m wondering about the truck in the Foresters Falls fire hall, if we could have an update on that,” he said.
Chief Heubner said pump tests were done today on the township’s fleet of fire trucks and that truck did not pass.
“It will have to be retested,” he said, adding, “It blew a hose (in the first test) and in the second test it caught fire.
“So, I can’t really give you an update.”
The truck was towed back to the township’s garage so mechanic Mike Fortier can look it over.
The truck has not been in the fire hall for about three weeks, he told council.
“It’ll be several days before it (is returned) to the fire hall,” he said.
During a break in the meeting, Mayor Hal Johnson advised he is conducting an internal investigation.
“There has been no fire truck for four weeks of any kind in Foresters Falls,” he said. “That will be dealt with.”
He said a man “attacked me about it” at his home Friday night.
This is a liability of council, Mayor Johnson said.
“I’m investigating the situation,” he added.
Chief Heubner said while some people may believe not having a fire truck means no fire protection for Foresters Falls and area, that’s just not true.
“Foresters Falls is protected by Beachburg, Cobden and Haley Station,” he said.
He noted this is a 1990 truck with a 1978 pump.
“It’s stressed to the limit,” Chief Heubner said.
The fire truck was not badly damaged in the fire during the testing on Wednesday, he said.
“We encounterd problems today we were not prepared for,” he said.
And with no money in the budget, purchasing a newer model fire truck is out of the question this year, he added.
As for moving a tanker to Foresters Falls from fire halls in Haley Station or Cobden, that’s just not feasible, because it’s not a fire fighting truck.
“Foresters Falls is not unprotected,” Chief Heubner stressed.
If there’s a need for a fire truck in the Foresters Falls area, a truck can be rolling out of Cobden and Beachburg within four minutes of the call coming in, the chief said.
