Several changes to Pontiac’s fire services coming in July

Several changes to Pontiac’s fire services coming in July

There’s about to be some changes to how emergency situations are handled across the Pontiac, as three small municipalities have signed new agreements with neighbouring fire departments, effective July 1.

Bryson and Calumet join Campbell’s Bay-Litchfield

On June 11, the Municipalities of Campbell’s Bay, Litchfield, Bryson and L’Ile-du-Grand-Calumet announced in a joint statement that they had reached an intermunicipal agreement for fire safety services. The municipalities of Portage-du-Fort, Bryson and L’Ile-du-Grand-Calumet had their own department in the past, but Portage signed an agreement with Shawville-Clarendon in recent years, and sold their equipment. The two other municipalities have been in discussions about an agreement with Campbell’s Bay and Litchfield for several years.

CB-LFD Chief Kevin Kluke explained that things will operate similarly to how they have in the past, but he will take over all training, documentation and equipment testing. He said that the Bryson and Calumet personnel will still respond to minor calls within their municipalities, such as extinguishing camp fires, but everyone will respond to structure fires and the like.

The joint statement notes that Bryson and Calumet will retain ownership of their firefighting infrastructure and will play a supporting role under a unified command structure, adding that this agreement will ensure “fair and proportional sharing of operational and capital costs.”

Links to the agreements can be found here.

Thorne leaves Pontiac North for Shawville Clarendon

The Thorne Fire department, which had an agreement with the Otter Lake Department for several years, also recently agreed to a new service agreement with the Shawville Clarendon Department. The full text of the agreement is available here.

The agreement states that Thorne will pay an annual fee of around $80,000 (paid in two installments and adjusted annually to the consumer price index), plus service fees per call. The municipality will retain its equipment and the new hall built in 2019. The agreement is for three years, with two additional year-long options to renew.

Shawville Mayor Bill McCleary said that Thorne was hoping to rebuild its own department, after falling below the minimum number of personnel required.

Despite several requests for comment, Thorne Mayor Karen Daly Kelly did not respond to CHIP 101.9 in time for publication.