The Hanover Fire Department’s annual report is in for 2019.
Hanover firefighters responded to 209 emergency calls, the highest in the Department’s history with an average response time of 8.08 minutes.
Firefighters spent over 16 hundred hours on scene and close to 3000 hours in training and meetings.
Training is such a priority that the Department is in the midst of putting together a new training platform for this year.
Fire Chief Jeff Dentinger says the more training a firefighter receives, the better prepared they will be.
With so many new tools, technologies and rescue techniques used by firefighters, he says training is paramount.
Dentinger adds that fires are also changing as building structures and materials change.
2020 will also include a focus on decontamination after every incident in which firefighters are exposed to toxic carcinogens.
2020 will also be the year when the Fire Department will be able to put its recently purchased drone to work.
He says firefighter drone pilots are working diligently to establish a new program focused on having this tool operational for many emergency situations.
Dentinger adds that being a firefighter is more than a job, it is a lifestyle, as firefighters are on call 24/7, their pagers never leave their side.
This lifestyle is one that is shared by the firefighter’s family and employer.
For that, Dentinger says the Hanover Fire Department is indebted to its firefighters, their families as well as their employers.
Link to original article on bayshorebroadcasting.ca: Hanover Fire Department's 2019 Annual Report