Eganville – The fire hall is not closing in Foymount and Bonnechere Valley Mayor Jennifer Murphy wants to make sure the community is very clear on this.
“People were reaching out to me in a panic,” she said during council last Tuesday afternoon. “This isn’t only about their safety. It is about their insurance costs. That kind of misinformation is very damaging especially for those already feeling the pinch of this economy.”
There had been rumours in the community the hall was closing, and this is not the case, she said.
“I assured the three residents who reached out that was not the case,” she said, adding she urged them to speak to their neighbours to let them know.
It was important people be told not to spread misinformation, she said. It appears there was something on social media stating the Foymount Fire Hall was closing, although she said she did not see the information online, she said.
The mayor said when she was told about the rumour, she was prepared to go to the community and walk door to door telling people the hall was not closing. However, the people who reached out to her assured her they would speak to others in the community and let them know the fire hall was not closing.
Fire Chief Darryl Wagner said he wants to stop misinformation and is always available if people have questions.
“Call me. Just reach out to me,” he said. “Instead of just firing up the rumour mill.”
Mayor Murphy said the importance of the Foymount Hall is known by council and the fire department. She said when the consultants doing an efficiency report suggested having a centralized fire hall in the Spring Creek Yard, the community in Foymount spoke out against it quickly.
“That was one of the biggest things we heard, was their insurance,” she said.
Chief Wagner said anyone outside a certain kilometre radius of a fire hall is deemed “unprotected” so it is a challenge for people if there is not a fire hall nearby.
The fire department is continuing recruiting, he also told council. Currently it has an authorized limit of 40 firefighters but the actual firefighter count is only 19, which includes recruits, he noted in his report.
Chief Wagner told the Leader the majority of training is done in Eganville due to the small size of the department right now but training still happens in Foymount as well.
He said while the numbers are low right now, this is a challenge not unique to BV. Other rural departments are also having an issue recruiting firefighters, he said.
Chief Wagner is, however, very optimistic due to the great success the junior firefighters program has seen. This pilot project has a group of young people learning to be firefighters and they will be able to use the skills they are learning in the program to speed up the process. It also exposes them to the possibility of being a firefighter at a young age.
“It gives us hope for the future,” he said.
The chief said if they become career firefighters, join the BV department or another one, it is all a bonus. The program has also sparked interest among other fire departments and they may be developing similar programs. Last week members from another department came to BV to see the program in action.
“We are building a curriculum as we go and we can pass it on,” he said. “It is very positive.”
As far as the rumour mill is concerned and the closing of the fire hall, he urged anyone with any concerns or questions to reach out to him first before spreading misinformation.