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April 5, 2017

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Leamington fire chief relocating to Kingsville By Bryan Jessop Leamington Fire Service’s chief of the past six years is making a short move westward. Charles “Chuck” Parsons submitted his resignation from the position to the Municipality of Leamington on Thursday, March 30 — the day after he was informed that his application for the position as chief of the Kingsville CHIEF CHUCK PARSONS Fire Department was accepted. Parsons will serve with Leamington Fire Services until Friday, Apr. 21 and officially start as chief of the Kingsville department Monday, Apr. 24. “It’s a new challenge and a new opportunity,” Parsons stated. “I’m looking forward to it, although at the same time I’m sad to leave a really good crew in Leamington. I’ve really enjoyed working with the crew, the municipality and its management. It’s been a pleasure working here.” Parsons will replace Kingsville Fire Department chief Bob Kissner, who retired in late February of this year at the age of 60. Since Kissner’s retirement, KFD deputy chief Jeff Dean has been serving as acting chief and will continue to do so until Parsons’ arrival later this month. Kingsville is served by a fire department of two stations — a ‘north’ location in Cottam and a ‘south’ detachment in urban Kingsville — represented by more than 50 firefighters in total. Leamington’s force is made up of 28 firefighters. Parsons has also been serving with the Municpality of Leamington as the community emergency management coordinator. He joined the LFS in 2001 as deputy chief following service as the captain of fire prevention and training in Grand Valley — north of Toronto — beginning in 1988. His career began in Red Lake, Ont. as a forest firefighter. Parsons submitted an application for the Kingsville chief position about four weeks ago and was subject to an interview process by a board made up (Continued on Page 3)

Dusk was illuminated with flames on Wednesday, March 29 at Point Pelee National Park as hectares of marsh land burned. (Leamington Fire Services Photo)

Structural damage avoided in Pelee fire By Bryan Jessop Wet, dreary weather may have been depressing for some, but emergency personnel at Point Pelee National Park certainly didn’t mind the rain. Leamington Fire Services were alerted to a fire that had broken out at the Point Pelee marshlands on Wednesday, March 29 at 7:41 p.m. and a crew of 17 firefighters and seven vehicles were finally able to head back to its Clark Street station — for the second and final time — at approximately 5 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, March 30. An original estimate by the LFS pegged the area affected by the fire at 125 hectares (309 acres), although the fire had not quite been completely extinguished at that time. A Parks Canada investigation into both the cause and effects of the fire is ongoing. An aerial assessment of the area affected by the fire was delayed by foggy conditions that would have concealed the damaged region of the marsh. Initially, the fire’s cause was declared natural, but the statement has since been changed by Parks Canada staff to undetermined. “The investigation could be quick or it could take a number of months,” explained Parks Canada southwestern Ontario field unit superintendent Louis Lavoie. “It depends on how intricate it gets. We’ll follow up with due process.” Lavoie explained that quick responses from both the Leamington Fire Services and Parks Canada staff — as well as some well-timed rainfall — were credited with saving Point Pelee’s marsh boardwalk from damage. “It was a combination of luck with rain coming at the right time and Leamington fire department and Parks Canada staff with quick action that literally saved the marsh boardwalk,” Lavoie continued. Leamington Fire Services deputy chief Mike Bradt explained that the fire raged north and east of the boardwalk, starting from a location close to where a similar incident took place in July of 1988. Twenty-nine years ago, a fire at the marsh was triggered by a bolt of lightning, although the affected area steadily regenerated itself. In last week’s fire, the flames advanced to within close proximity of the boardwalk’s edge before being extinguished. “Our job was to protect the boardwalk,” Bradt said, noting that the fire was progressing until precipitation arrived. “The marsh itself was pretty inaccessible. The rain came at the perfect time. It made our job a lot easier.” The LFS crew was called back to the park a second time — about 30 minutes after departing from the scene the first time — after wind intensity suddenly increased significantly. Shortly after it had been determined that the fire was completely doused, Point Pelee was once again re-opened to the public. “The fire has been extinguished and it is safe for visitors to return to the park,” Lavoie said. “There has been no damage to any infrastructure.” Bradt stated that there were no human injuries as a result of the fire and Lavoie noted that with nesting season yet to arrive, the initial stages of assessment indicated no loss of life to the species that reside in the marsh area. Lavoie explained that the fire will actually prove beneficial in some aspects, releasing nutrients that will support a diverse ecosystem and allow it to regenerate.

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