OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via our website. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is an open letter to mayor and council in response to our story titled, 'City 'jeopardizing' public safety with fire hall closures: union', published Aug. 19.
Mayor McIsaac and Councillors:
My wife and I are alive today and living here thanks to the prompt response by Barrie fighters on Oct. 3, 1998 when we lived in Barrie. We had a garage fire thanks to poor servicing of one of our then vehicles by the new Canadian Tire store.
We lost two vehicles, the garage and all its contents and could have died, but for a stranger walking by who saw smoke coming from the garage and rang our doorbell. It eventually cost Canadian Tire over $65,000 when sued by our insurer.
Residents of the north ward deserve full fire protection from the station in the north ward (on Commerce Drive) and not from the (Gill Street) station where delays could be very costly.
Keep Station 2 open. Find other ways to save funds.
From someone who knows how valuable local fire service is to our security!
E. Scott Maclagan
Orillia
