📸 COLLINGWOOD CANDIDATES MEETING BRINGS COMMUNITY ISSUES TO THE TABLE — BUT SCENE WATCH RAISES FIRE SAFETY AFTERWARD
Scene Watch Media | Collingwood
Candidates seeking election and re-election for Mayor and Deputy Mayor gathered tonight at 490 Ontario Street in Collingwood for an all-candidates meeting hosted by the Collingwood Chamber of Commerce.
Scene Watch Media would like to thank the Chamber for its generosity and hospitality in bringing candidates and members of the community together for an important evening of discussion about Collingwood’s future.
The evening began with a moment of silence recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, observed annually on September 30 to honour Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities, and to remember the children who never returned home.
Candidates then introduced themselves, sharing their campaign messages, values, priorities and reasons for seeking municipal office.
There were differences in their approaches and priorities, and there were also areas where candidates shared similar views. One thing was evident throughout the evening: each candidate spoke about their concern for the future of Collingwood and the community they hope to represent.
Following the introductions, questions submitted by members of the community were drawn from a glass jar. Candidates were given an opportunity to respond and explain their individual positions on the issues raised.
ONE ISSUE SCENE WATCH WANTED TO HEAR MORE ABOUT: FIRE PROTECTION
Throughout the evening, candidates spoke about issues they considered priorities and areas where they believed action was needed.
However, one subject Scene Watch Media has been following closely was not meaningfully addressed during the public discussion: fire protection and emergency response capacity in Collingwood.
This is an issue Scene Watch has repeatedly raised publicly. The Town itself identifies its Fire Services Master Plan as a review intended to examine areas including operations, fire prevention, training, apparatus, human resources, station suitability, budgets and large-scale emergency preparedness. The Town currently lists that master-plan project as “On Hold.”
The Town also continues to list its 2017 Fire Protection Services Master Plan among its strategic planning documents.
For Scene Watch Media, that makes fire protection an important issue for the current and future councils to discuss publicly.
There was no open-floor portion of tonight’s meeting that allowed Scene Watch to raise the issue during the formal program. Following the meeting, however, Scene Watch approached candidates directly to explain why we believe the subject deserves attention.
We pointed to the structure fire on Clark Street early this morning as an example.
Based on the response Scene Watch observed and information available to us, the initial crew responded extremely quickly. We told candidates that the first firefighters were able to get underway in approximately 90 seconds, followed by a short drive from the High Street station to the scene.
That rapid initial response is something worth recognizing.
Our concern is what happens after that first crew arrives when a significant incident requires additional personnel and apparatus.
Scene Watch told candidates that, according to the timeline we observed this morning, additional paged firefighters and apparatus arrived roughly 10 minutes after the initial response. Those firefighters were responding from home after being paged, they were not sitting at the station waiting to respond.
That distinction matters.
This is not criticism of Collingwood firefighters.
When firefighters are paged from home, they must receive the call, travel to the station, prepare and then respond with additional apparatus. They are working within the staffing and response system currently in place.
The question Scene Watch is raising is whether that system provides the level of response capacity Collingwood requires today and into the future.
A structure fire can change dramatically within minutes. Traffic, weather, location, simultaneous emergencies and the number of firefighters immediately available can all affect an emergency response. The conditions at 2:30 in the morning are also very different from conditions during a busy afternoon.
The Town states that its fire station can accommodate a crew of 10 per shift, while its Fire Services Master Plan project was intended to examine current and anticipated community risks and operational needs.
Those are exactly the kinds of questions we believe deserve a public discussion.
Scene Watch therefore left candidates with a straightforward request:
Put fire protection and emergency response capacity on the agenda. Ask the questions. Review the evidence. Discuss staffing and response requirements publicly, and determine what Collingwood needs to protect a growing community.
Municipal government has many competing priorities, and every expenditure requires consideration. But emergency services are responsible for situations where minutes, and sometimes seconds, matter.
Tonight gave residents an opportunity to hear what candidates believe Collingwood’s priorities should be.
Scene Watch Media believes community safety must be part of that conversation.
We will continue asking questions, seeking information and advocating for a transparent public discussion about the future of fire protection in Collingwood.
A safer tomorrow requires the conversation today.
Community Safety • Local Media • First Responder Advocacy
