NEWS
Fire and ice
Fire fighting still exciting after all these years
same,” says Sauvé, who will officially retire
Richard.mahoney@eap.on.ca
from his post January 30.
S T -E UGÈNE
A member of the volunteer fire
department for 28 years, he has been chief
A burning house, a mangled car, a man
for the past 26 years.
trapped in a truck, an animal in distress –
HewillbereplacedbyDominicNormand,
East Hawkesbury Fire Chief Yvon Sauvé
who has been a fire fighter for 13 years and
has seen it all in the almost 30 years he has
has served as deputy chief for the past three
been a fire fighter.
years.
Yet the job is still never dull.
The nature of the work has changed
“Every time the phone rings, the
dramatically over the years as the nature of
adrenalinegetsgoing.Youneverknowwhat
local emergency response service has
the call involves; you never know what is
improved.
waiting for you. No two calls are ever the
“When I started, we would receive 20
calls a year for fires,” recalls Sauvé. “Today,
for the past two years, we have gone out on
102 times per year. But of that number, there
are very few building fires. Most of the calls
today are for accidents and medical
emergencies.”
Thenumberofhousefireshasbeengreatly
reduced over the years, thanks to improved
building standards, better equipment and
more frequent inspections.
“Fortunately,duringtheyearsIhavebeen
chief, there have been no fatal fires in the
township and no fire fighter has been
seriouslyinjured.Butwehavehadtorespond
to several fatal accidents.”
Today’s fire fighters are trained as first
responders,sotheycanhandlemostmedical
emergenciesiftheyarriveonthescenebefore
Photo Richard Mahoney
paramedics. “There is a lot more work for
Long-time East Hawkesbury Fire Chief Yvon Sauvé will be succeeded by Dominic
volunteer fire fighters today. But the system
Normand next week.
is a good thing because the service to the
NOMINATIONS Rendez Vous Nissan
public has improved.”
Jean-Yves Lalonde
He has led a brigade of a total of 28 fire
fighters – 14 based at the hall in St-Eugène,
Budget time
seveninChute-à-BlondeauandseveninSte-
Anne-de-Prescott.
gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Although none is a full-time member of
the department, a large number can quickly
P LANTAGENET
respond to a call. “Within ten to 15 minutes,
we can have 15 guys on the scene. That is
Alfred-Plantagenet Township may
fantastic for a volunteer fire department,”
have its new budget finished the day
allows the chief.
before Groundhog’s Day.
“The work can always be dangerous,”
Mayor Jean-Yves Lalonde anticipates
notes Sauvé.
L a direction chez Rendez Vous Nissan est fière d’accueillir Mme Rollande Carrière parmi son équipe. Rollande occupera le poste de directrice commerciale.
seeingadraftbudgetreadyforfinalreview
Members hold 20 practices a year.
and approval at a special eveningmeeting
DominicNormandiscontinuingafamily
of council on Feb. 1.
tradition.
“We’ll adopt the budget then if at all
Hisgrandfather,thelateRomainMeilleur
possible,” the mayor said during a phone
was also a fire chief. “I have always wanted
interview Jan. 23.
to be a fire fighter after listening to stories
Council marked the middle of January
my grandfather told me,” says Normand.
with a special two-day public discussion
He joined the East Hawkesbury
and review session on the budget. Mayor
departmentattheageof18.“Hewouldhave
Lalonde noted that the Jan. 16 and 17 open
joined at age 16 if he could have,” remarks
sessions saw just himself and members of
Sauvé.
council and the heads of the various
“Itisalwaysveryinterestingwork,”notes
Rendez Vous Nissan is proud to welcome Miss Rollande Carrière as the new Business manager.
township departments attend at the
Normand.
Plantagenet Community Centre. He takes
Over the years, apart from battling all
that as a sign that township residents are
sortsofblazes,YvonSauvéhashelpedrescue
comfortablewithhowcouncilismanaging
people from various dangerous situations.
affairs.Thereviewsessionstillsawcouncil
December 31, the department received
goovereachlineitemoftheproposed2012
an unusual request for help. Near Chute-à-
budget with staff. The mayor noted that
Blondeau, a young deer was seen stranded
thefinalreportmaymeanatwopercentto
on the Ottawa River. “Five of us went out
2.5 per cent increase in the tax rate to cover
with a sled on the ice, brought it back to
the municipal levy portion of the budget
shore and released it. That was the first time
E
C
Courriel : sales@rendezvousnissan.com 1 877 524-3584
but council and staff are trying to keep the
I rescued a deer,” relates Sauvé. “We get all
increase as low as possible while still
kinds of requests for help. Some people ask
www.rendezvousnissan.com
dealing with critical needs.
ifwecanrescuecatsfromtrees,butwedon’t
SHIFT_
“We’re trying to cover all the sections,”
offer that service,” he says with a smile.
VOTRE SATISFACTION EST NOTRE PRIORITÉ N O 1.
COINMAIN ET TUPPER, HAWKESBURY, ONTARIO
he said. “We are looking at something
good for the roads.”
À SURVEILLER - Nos flambés faits à votre table
Fête son 3 e anniversaire les 3 et 4 février
One item that cannot be cut from the
budget is purchase of a newpumper truck
for the fire department. “We’re looking at
a $200,000 expense,” the mayor said.
- Amour et gastronomie pour la St-Valentin - Retour de nos chansonniers dès le 2 février ( 2 février, Alain Bertrand / 3 février, Carl et Hector )
Thepresentunitisapproachingtheage
limit allowed by the Ontario Fire
Underwriters before the township’s fire
Pour vous remercier de votre fidélité, Sylvain, Josée et l’équipe vous
protection rating is affected.
Township staff are also working on
- 5 à 7 jeudis et vendredi (2pour1surbièreenfûtLe16, grandformat) - Samedis Karaoke
preparing three presentations for council
members to take with them for meetings
réservent une belle surprise !
with ministers at next month’s Ontario
Good Roads Association conference in
Toronto on Feb. 27 and 28.
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