Firefighters participate in Spill Response Training to protect local drinking water sources
Twenty firefighters across the United Counties of Prescott and Russell participated in Spill Response Training on April 25.
The training compliments a previous session that was offered by South Nation Conservation (SNC) in 2008 and 2009.
The purpose of this training was to refresh local fire departments on how to respond to a hazardous material spill to ensure the safety of the community and protect local drinking water sources. The safety of first responders is very important when dealing with hazardous material spills.
"Overall this training went exceptionally well and we will be working with our other municipalities to offer the same training,” says Alison McDonald, Lead, Source Protection.
Firefighters learned about how to prepare for an emergency spill of hazardous materials and what to do when they arrive on the scene. Each fire department was requested to send one trainee that would then share the information with their fire department.
The session included a lecture and hands-on training where participants practiced blocking culverts and identifying products, among other topics. Local representatives from Drain-All LTD. from the Environmental Services Division were also on hand to provide further training.
“We could not have done this event without the cooperation and commitment from our local fire departments. A big thank-you is extended to Tobias Hovey, Nation Fire Chief for helping organize this training," McDonald observed.
Training sessions such as these are part of ongoing initiatives to support Municipalities through the implementation of the Raisin-South Nation Source Protection Plan. Policies went into effect April 1, 2015.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Alison McDonald,1-877-984-2948 ext. 311, amcdonald@nation.on.ca