On Saturday, May 3 at the Victoria Inn, East Gorham Fire & Rescue along with neighboring Lappe Fire Department hosted a huge fundraiser to benefit Project Healing Waters and raised just over $7000 for this cause.

The volunteers of our fire departments will provide assistance allowing servicemen/women suffering from PTSD to experience the amazing opportunity of fly-in fishing, and healing, in Northwestern Ontario. In conjunction with Wilderness North, we will be providing funding for much needed traveling expenses for program participants and the support staff for this incredible healing journey on August 1-6, 2014.

A huge thank you to all who supported this worthy cause.

Thank you for your Generosity!!

Beautiful Green Spaces in Our Own BackyardWishart Conservation Area

Latitude: 48.555093

Longitude: -89.2467285

Wishart Forest is a vast green space accessible from Onion Lake Road. In summer, a green carpet of moss gives the area a northern appeal. In winter, make your tracks over the rolling topography of Wishart by snowshoes.

The Wishart Forest is one of the Lakehead Conservation Authoritys conservation areas aimed at protecting a 221 hectare spruce and jack pine boreal forest. The forest here is beautiful any time of year and by mid-summer there are lots of mushrooms, some blueberries and a beautiful carpet of moss and ferns.

The Yellow Trail is located on the west side of Onion Lake Road. It leads to the left from the main parking area through a loop that connects to the Orange Trail and then heads back to the parking area. There are some rooty sections and some muddy wet sections, but is fairly level for the most part.

The Wishart Forest is located 11 km north on Onion Lake Road only a few hundred metres from Tarmola Hall. From Highway 11/17 turn left (north) on Balsam Street. Turn left (west) along Wardrope Ave and turn right (north) on Onion Lake Road. The main parking lot is located on the left (west) side of the road just before a small bridge. There is a $2 day use fee to be paid at the drop box located in the parking lot.

From the parking lot you will immediately see three directions you could head in. Standing with your back to the parking lot, take the Yellow Trail to the left and continue straight following the yellow markers. The yellow trail turns to the right and loops back just before it meets up with the orange trail.(cont on pg 4)

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Katie Tropea with Sean Curry, Avery, Louie and Elizabeth Bernardi hiking the trails of Wishart in MarchEa

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SUMMER 2014

FIRE & RESCUE

LOCAL SERVICES BOARD

In This IssueIs Your House FireSmart? 2Calendar Of Events 3Meet the Team 3BBQ Safety 4

Is Your House FireSmart? With summer finally upon us, and all of

the fun activities that come with it; camping, BBQs, and bonfires with friends, it is important to remember to stay safe when burning and keep Fire Smart in mind.

In order to understand FireSmart, one must first understand that rural communities and nature share a bond with one another when it comes to burning. A wildlife fire can just as easily spread into a community as a bonfire can quickly grow and spread into a forest fire.

FireSmart was designed to assist people in staying diligent about preventing forest fires

and stopping the spread of a wildfire into a community.

One important step in protecting ones home and property is to be conscious about the environment surrounding ones home; things such as logs, twigs, tall grass, shrubs. It is important to keep your land clear within 10 meters of your home.

It is important to work together as a community to help prevent the spread of forest fires, and prevent the loss of ones own, and neighboring, properties. For more information on FireSmart and how you can do your part, please visit www.firesmartcanada.ca

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The Great Fire of 1922 (The Haileybury Fire)

Place: Haileybury, Ontario;Size of burn: over 500,000 hectares;Number of people affected: 43 people killed;Property destroyed: around 8 million dollars worth of damages (houses, businesses, churches and many farm animals were all destroyed);Cause: never determined, although some believed it was arson.

The above historical fire report sums up one of Canadas 10 worst natural disasters. It was devastating to many communities. Eyewitness reports from Haileybury, Ontario and Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Quebec provide an idea of the impact the fire had on people that day.

Could it happen today? Have we changed enough of our knowledge and improved practices?The summer of 1922 was unusually hot and dry in northern Ontario, so hot and dry that worried fire rangers asked the government for permission to stay on for the approaching "burning" season, when farmers were allowed to clear land with small brush fires. Bureaucrats, however, denied the request and on September 12th, all fire rangers left the area around Lake Temiskaming. With burning permits now unnecessary, settlers were quick to take advantage and farmers began to set the small fires needed to improve their land. On October 4th, gentle fall breezes unexpectedly turned into hurricane-force winds. The small fires, burning on ground dried out from summer heat, soon merged into an inferno. In Haileybury, citizens paid little attention to the smoke, at first no different than the smoke that drifted into town every year

during burning season. When the flames approached the town, however, people panicked. In the thick, black smoke, families had difficulty finding each other. A clerk at the telegraph office wired to North Bay, "Haileybury is on Fire. Send help!" Most people headed to the lake, covering themselves with wool blankets, where they waited, shivering, for six hours. By midnight the fire had finally burnt itself out, leaving 90% of Haileybury in cinders.

Source: Haileybury Heritage Museum

The fire was devastating to residents. Churches that had been built as the town established itself were destroyed as was much of the town. It was definitely time to start over and re-establish the town. It is not as commonly known but many villages on the Quebec side were also destroyed.

A Community Meeting was held on Saturday, June 28th, 2014 at the Aurora Bible Camp in Jacques Twp to share with the community concerns over emergency response times due to distance from existing halls.

Currently, the existing EGFR medical and fire emergency responses does not meet the NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) standards for response times. The meetings aims were to inform residents of Jacques of the response deficiencies, discuss options for remediation and to seek input and interest in residents getting involved in a solution.

-Those present from Jacques agreed to start the organizing amongst the residents of Jacques at upcoming events to raise awareness and interest. -East Gorham EGF&R and LSB of EG will wait to hear from Jacques before doing further work on the Response time issue. -Almost 90% of calls to EGFR are for medical first response. There was lively discussion of ways to address the best response for especially the camper population of Jacques. The following are suggestions that were made:1) Find 3 or 4 individuals that are prepared to be trained as Medical First Responders that live within Jacques Township. 2) East Gorham Fire & Rescue to train and equip these Volunteers 3) Find a suitable space for a First Response Vehicle (can someone donate an empty garage space?) 4)Potential location for helipad to be discussed with local landowners and ORGEThe Jacques working group would then continue, with the assistance of EGF&R to explore financing and possible locations for an additional full service fire hall within Jacques Township. The optimum location would be near the intersection of Pike Lake Road and Howcum Lake Road.

On July 12,2014 newly re-elected Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle was present at a special joint East Gorham Fire and Local Services Board meeting to discuss Emergency Medical First Response within East Gorham.

Currently EGFR provides Medical Response in East Gorham and Jacques by getting to scene first and stabilizing patients precious minutes before Superior EMS or ORNGE can arrive. In order to have WSIB coverage, the current requirement is that all medical First Responders have to be Fire Fighters. Clearly, not everybody wants to be a fire fighter, but is quite prepared to be trained and volunteer their time to become a Medical First Responder.

Various solutions were discussed to achieve the WSIB coverage. Mr. Gravelle recognizes a need for short-term fix, but also indicated that a longer term review is needed to resolve the inconsistencies within the Ministries to provide a more efficient, streamlined service and agreed to advocate the issue. Directors of both Boards thanked Mr. Gravelle for his support.

EventsIf you have an East Gorham event, important date, special occasion or interesting story that you would like included in the next newsletter, contact us.

Email Us:eglsb@tbaytel.net

Call Us: 807.683.1355 (messages are only checked every couple of days)

Mail Us:5 Kam Current RoadGorham, ONP7G 0J7

or contact newsletter curator Tim Bernardi at home or through email @807.345.0228tbernardi@tbaytel.net

Recent & Upcoming EventsRecent & Upcoming EventsRecent & Upcoming EventsEventsIf you have an East Gorham event, important date, special occasion or interesting story that you would like included in the next newsletter, contact us.

Email Us:eglsb@tbaytel.net

Call Us: 807.683.1355 (messages are only checked every couple of days)

Mail Us:5 Kam Current RoadGorham, ONP7G 0J7

or contact newsletter curator Tim Bernardi at home or through email @807.345.0228tbernardi@tbaytel.net

April 17/14- Financials reviewed- Insurance Study Update- Jacques response times

April 30/14- Financials reviewed- Requests for a copy of the audit report can be made to eglsb@tbaytel.net

June 28/14Jacques Township Emergency Response Time Meeting @ Aurora Lutheran Bible Camp

July 12/14Dissussions regarding WSIB overage for first responders with MPP Michael Gravelle

IMPORTANT NOTE

Video surveillance has been installed at the fire halls to deal with ongoing vandalism and misuse of community property.

Further discussion is being had to remove the emergency exit to Onion Lk Rd at Tarmola Hall and/or refer damage and dangerous instances to OPP.

Sept 12/14- 10:00 AM Election Meeting for the East Gorham LSB will be held at the North Branch Fire Hall. Appropriate notices will be posted near mail box pick-up location two weeks prior to the meeting date.

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Aug 1-6/14- Project Healing Waters Trip

Looking to Get Involved?

If you have a talent, time and the inclination to help, contact us. Wed love to help you find a way to to give back to the community!

Become Part of The TeamIf you are interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter/first responder, please contact Chief Ted Post.Training Meetings are held every Wed. night in North Branch Hall@ 19h00(e) egf_r@tbaytel.net(p) 807-683-1355

Who We AreEast Gorham Fire & Rescue is composed of 18 dedicated volunteers who are certified and outfitted by the Ontario Fire Marshals Office and funded bythe residents of East Gorham through an annual levy by the LSB. We proudly serve the emergency needs of our community.

FF/First Responder Mika Pooley has been a volunteer firefighter for several years and rarely misses a training session. He takes every opportunity to improve his skills to meet the challenges of serving his community.Mika spent his formative years exploring a wooded property along the banks of the Current River. In fact, his first memories of East Gorham include moving into his Onion Lake Rd home and breaking trails in the bushes leading to the river. He speaks affectionately about the place and his love of the area.Given the opportunity, Mika will gladly tell of his instrumental role in helping Fire Chief Ted Post solve The Great Lawnmower Heist of 1993.

Junior FF Nathan Roy is a typical student at Superior CVI. He enjoys biking, snowmobiling and hockey. The one major difference is that this 15 yr old is a junior firefighter with EGFR.When former fire chief Dennis Thibodeau suggested that he get his high school volunteer hours at the fire hall, Nathan jumped at the chance to learn about pumper ops and work with the hoses. His first duty was to help with a creative training exercise. EG emergency responders arrived at what they thought was Nathan in a real hit-and-run accident. Despite being worried about his performance, his role as victim helped our first responders react, critique and improve their skills for when a real accident happens. Great job Nathan!

Meet the Team

Junior Volunteer Firefighter Nathan Roy posing as victim for training exercise

Volunteer FF Mika Pooley at Wednesday night training

BBQ Safety

Before You Light It Up, Take These Steps:

1. CLEAN ITUse a pipe cleaner or wire to ensure burner ports are free of rust, dirt, spider webs or other debris.

2. CHECK ITExamine the hose leading from the tank to the burners. Replace if cracked or damaged.

3. TEST ITFind leaks by applying a 50/50 solution of water and dish soap to propane cylinder connections and hoses. If bubbles appear, tighten the connection and/or replace the damaged parts and retest.

Dos and Donts of BBQ Safety

Do...keep loose clothing away from a hot BBQ; keep children and pets at a safe distance; turn gas valve off first when finished, then turn off the burner controls, so no gas is left in the connecting hose; and allow the BBQ to cool completely before closing the cover.

Don't ... leave the BBQ unattended when in use; allow grease to build up on the burners or at the base of the BBQ as this could cause a grease fire; throw water on a grease fire this will only spread the flame; and position your BBQ too close to wooden fences or walls. Make sure the area behind your BBQ is free of combustible material, since this is where hot gases escape.

BBQs are approved for outdoor use only.

They emit carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that can lead to unconsciousness and even death. Propane cylinders may not be used or stored inside any structure.

More than just hikingFor other outdoor opportunities (education, swimming, fishing, and even fishing gear sign-outs) on Lakehead Conservation Authority Lands, visit:

http://www.lakeheadca.com

Wishart Conservation Area (cont from pg 1)

From the Wishart parking area you will also find a number of trails:

1.You will see the very short Yellow Trail that leads to the right from the parking area and takes you to the river that runs under the bridge.

2.There is also another Yellow Trail (east) across the road from the parking area. At the start there is a wooden sign with a map showing the route of this loop as it comes close to the Current River.

3.There is the Orange Trail that spurs off of the Yellow Trail West, which is a longer trail with a steady climb to a lookout.

4.The widest path from the parking lot is the one that heads straight to the pipeline. This is not an official conservation area trail and it is not marked. This path will eventually take you to a very steep climb up to the top of a ridge and beyond.

Framing of Tarmola Hall 1988

From the East Gorham Archives

Look closely at this picture from EGFR past and win. Can you name any of the volunteers that helped build Tarmola Hall in 1988?

If this vintage photo fires some neurons and stokes the memory, email your response by August 15 to egf_r@tbaytel.net to have your name entered into a draw for a chance to win a fire extinguisher for your kitchen/garage courtesy of East Gorham Fire & Rescue.