Meaford council has received a report detailing the activities of the local fire department in 2022.
During a meeting on Feb. 27, council received a report by Director of Community Services and Clerk Matt Smith. It included not only data from the Meaford Fire Department, but also from the Inter-Township Fire Department (ITFD).
The report says overall, the municipality saw an increase in calls in 2022, from 283 to 294, as Meaford Fire and the ITFD have been working to strengthen the relationship between the departments and improve the combined responses to incidents.
“This was the first year that every working fire within the municipality of Meaford prompted a two-hall response from the ITFD and Meaford Fire. This change ensured that a ladder truck was dispatched to all working fires,” says the report.
While experiencing a small drop in call volume in 2022 compared to 2021, the fire department continues to see an increase in medical calls, arriving to scenes with EMS more regularly and having more of a direct impact on initial care.
Of the 207 calls for service in 2022, the Meaford Fire Department responded to medical calls the most at 75.
The ITFD, according to the report, saw a sharp increase in calls last year, with an additional 19 within the municipality. In its 87 calls for service, the department responded the most to 23 medical calls.
In addition to responding to calls for service, the report says 2022 was a big year for educating residents, especially during Fire Prevention Week, where Meaford Fire visited grades one through four at the Georgian Bay Community School.
The department also took park in a number of fundraising activities and assisted local food banks by delivering donated food.
Following the Covid pandemic, Meaford Fire also got back to hands-on in-person training last year, even organizing three combined training sessions with the ITFD.
Last year, the report says Meaford Fire also got their hands on some new equipment, including a new rescue vehicle, a new radio system, and exhaust filters to remove diesel fumes and protect firefighters from these cancer-causing gases.
