Hamilton to donate two surplus fire trucks to northern First Nations

Hamilton’s fire department is donating two surplus fire trucks to First Nations communities in northern Ontario.

Hamilton fire is hosting a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Friday to mark the donation of fire trucks that have been with the department for 25 years.

“One [fire truck] is going into Lac Seul which is about a 22 hour drive from here and the other will be used by the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council to go to communities that don’t necessarily have a truck or their truck is going to be in service,” Fire Chief David Cunliffe says.

“I think one of the things we really take for granted is the resources we have around us in the city and really in southern Ontario.”

He says there are many Indigenous communities in northern Ontario that do not have a lot of resources.

“We hear from time to time the fatalities that are happening and they just don’t have the equipment to do anything,” Cunliffe says.

“Right now we run with pumpers so this just adds to the level of protection we can provide,” said Monique Belair, acting fire chief for the Independent First Nations Alliance.

“Someone who was born and raised, I’m a Hamiltonian, the fact that I’m bringing this back to a community that I work for and support is truly the icing on the cake for me.”

Nicholas Rhone, volunteer deputy fire chief for Lac Seul First Nation said this donation represents hope and moving forward as it provides these communities with a functional deployment ready truck on day one.

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