Spectacle of soaring siblings at Iroquois Locks

By-laws are introduced at almost every South Dundas council meeting and most pass without much fanfare.

At the November 1st meeting, however, Fire Chief Chris McDonough brought two proposed by-laws to the table, both of which were passed and both of which produced a fair amount of discussion.

The first by-law, number 2011-78, establishes set fees for specific services provided by the South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services Department. 

Requested inspections for things like day care homes, day nurseries, homes for special care and so on now cost $50. A requested industrial inspection will cost $75 for a half day and $150 for a full day.

The following will be charged according to Ministry of Transportation Ontario’s current rates: false alarm charges (after three calls in one year); burning without notice, unattended, unapproved or oversize fire; ice and water rescues, and motor vehicle fire and collision response.

McDonough relayed that it’s “fairly common practice for these general items.”

Mayor Steven Byvelds wanted to ensure that discretion is used and that first time offenders for “burning without notice” be given warning and “the second time, lay the hammer down.”

McDonough said, “what we need to do is educate the applicants.” 

He brought up the possibility of a community round table information session in the new year to which the mayor agreed saying, “we want to make sure that everyone is on the same page.”

The second by-law, the Carbon Monoxide By-Law, requires “the installation and maintenance of carbon monoxide alarms in all single family dwellings or attached residential occupancies containing fuel fired appliances and/or having attached garages.”

McDonough reported that “carbon monoxide is something you can’t identify: you can’t see it or smell it.”

“We’re going to promote it with our smoke alarm program.”

He told council that there are many detectors to choose from, but they can be purchased for as little as $30 and it’s “a valuable tool.”

“I would hope that people already have them for the most part,” he said.

McDonough believes it is very important to get the message out to people. He advocated educating the public on the by-law.

He told council that, unlike smoke alarms, only one carbon monoxide detector is needed per home, specifically in or near the sleeping area. “It migrates through the house,” he explained. “It’s an unusual gas.”

Mayor Steven Byvelds agreed that “it is well worth the effort.” 

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Although the likelihood of Winchester District Memorial Hospital ever seeing an Ebola patient is low, there are still very prepared.

Since the Ministry of Health sent out the first Ebola alert to hospitals, WDMH went to work right away on developing a kit and process to ensure the safety of its staff and patients.

Those visiting the hospital emergency recently may have already noticed the difference.

Now, all patients walking in to the emergency room must answer a screening question through a closed glass partition.

It is not until after staff confirms that the patient has not travelled to Africa that they open that partition to continue the triage process.

If the patient is at risk of having come into contact with Ebola, the Ebola process takes effect. It involves the donning of protective gear, the patient being taken to a specific area of the hospital, public health being notified and the hospital following the directives of infectious disease specialists, which are at the Ottawa Hospital and CHEO.

Should a patient with Ebola risk arrive by ambulance, WDMH staff would do all they could to help the patient without leaving the ambulance, and that patient would be taken to one of the city infectious disease sites for treatment.

WDMH has all the equipment it needs to deal with an Ebola situation, and staff have been trained in the process, and the especially important donning and doffing process, which the demonstrated to area media last week.

“Even though the likelihood of seeing Ebola here is low, the risk is still scary,” said Laura Landry, the nurse leading the demonstration. “After all the training with the equipment, I actually feel quite safe, if this situation ever arises.”

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