By Mark Squibb
Witless Bay Fire Chief Jack Gatherall says a mutual aid agreement between the volunteer fire departments in Ferryland and Witless Bay approved earlier this year and since put into effect is good news for the entire region.
“There’s only so many volunteers, and so much equipment, and so much water to go around, so if we can utilize those resources, it keeps everyone safe,” said Gatherall.
The agreement means that if Ferryland firefighters need extra equipment or bodies to help battle a blaze, the members of the Witless Bay Fire Department will lend a hand, and vice versa.
“This is going to lead to better protection for everybody and a better response as a whole,” said Gatherall. “Fires and other large incidents were not meant to be handled by 10 people. These incidents require large numbers of personnel.”
Gatherall said that, as per the agreement, no area will be left without adequate fire protection.
“When a call for help comes in, it’s going to be up to the fire chief of that jurisdiction to make sure they have proper staffing in their area,” said Gatherall.
The two departments hope to schedule a group training session in the future, he added.
A thorn in the side of both departments — especially in hot, dry weather conditions ripe for forest fires — is a lack of fire hydrants along the Southern Shore. Firefighters often have to draw water from ponds and streams to battle blazes.
“Both have great, successful fire departments, and well-trained members, but the problem is that there’s not a lot of water sources in our region, and further down the Shore there are lots of areas that don’t have town water,” said Gatherall. “This means we only have a limited amount of water on our truck until we can get more water.”
The two coverage areas converge near the La Manche Road suspension bridge.
The Ferryland brigade and the Fermeuse Volunteer Fire Department have a similar mutual aid agreement in place for that part of the Shore.
