Written By Jan Sims
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - Four Middlesex Centre firefighters recently celebrated a milestone - and it’s one that’s described as “amazing” by Middlesex Centre Fire Chief Colin Toth.
Jack Vanderloop, Mark Moir, Dave Donaldson, and Pete McClary, were recognized for each having 50 years of service at the Arva Fire Hall. “It’s very rare to hit a milestone like that. It’s usually 34 or 35 years in our paid, on-call professional world. Even that’s a lot. But 50 is pretty remarkable,” says Toth.
Two of the firefighters honoured are recently retired. All came on board the Arva Fire Hall when it opened, and have remained there ever since.
The firefighters are part of a team of what’s described as “paid, on-call” personnel which means they have jobs outside of the fire hall. “Their role is imperative,” says Toth. “In Middlesex Centre, our firefighters are all trained to an industry standard, and they always have been, which is the National Fire Protection Association. They have standards and guidelines that are required to be followed to meet different disciplines like firefighting and hazardous material response,” adds Toth.
Recruitment and retention of firefighters is an important component of the Middlesex Centre municipal fire plan, to ensure community needs are being met. “When we run recruiting and open houses, we have tons of people showing an interest,” says Toth. However, the fire department is always looking to maintain standards of excellence. That could include accommodating firefighters who may be associated with one fire hall during the day because it’s closer to where they’re employed, and working out of another fire hall in the evening because of the proximity to where they live.
The honours for the four Arva firefighters are timely, in that October features Fire Prevention Week. That was recognized in Middlesex Centre this year, with a special emphasis on the proper handling of lithium-ion batteries. “It’s important that you buy, charge and recycle these batteries properly,” says Toth.
