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Firefighters are not flood managers

911 calls tie up emergency resources

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Norfolk OPP have taken the opportunity in recent months to educate the public on the right and wrong uses of the 911 emergency dialling system.

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Now it is the turn of the Norfolk County Fire Department.

For local fire stations, the inappropriate calls literally come flooding in during the spring thaw.

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“The number of calls that are received about flooded basements can cause a lot of issues for our 911 dispatchers,” Michael Atkins, a fire prevention officer with the Norfolk department, said this week.

“We want people to know that we understand how upsetting it is to have a basement damaged by flooding and we are very sorry for their experience. But we ask that they not call 911 for it unless there is a risk of life involved.”

Norfolk firefighters were called to at least two flooding events during last weekend’s thaw. One was on Forestry Farm Road in the area of the Silver Hill Sideroad while the other was on Teeterville Road near Windham Centre.

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While flooded basements are not an issue for local fire stations, Atkins says there are common-sense steps householders can take if they are vulnerable to this major inconvenience.

A good first step is talking to your broker about flood damage and whether you are covered for it. While you are at it, Atkins said householders can clarify whether their insurer has flood emergency experts on call who can minimize damage with portable pumps, booms and other interventions.

As well, householders who think flooding may be an issue can take steps in advance to raise or remove anything in the basement that might fall below the water line. If a basement starts to flood, the breaker on the electrical panel should be turned off if it looks like it might be inundated.

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Another useful precaution is taking stock of paints, chemicals, pesticides, solvents and the like that accumulate in a basement. If flooding is a potential issue, they should be moved to higher ground.

More than anything, Atkins said it is a bad idea to call the fire department when flooding is a problem because there is a good chance firefighters and their equipment will be needed elsewhere.

“Often – when flooding in the basement occurs – there are environmental factors that are likely causing other emergency events at the same time,” he said. “Those other emergencies can be life-threatening and we can’t allow our resources to be tied up in non-emergency events.”

There could be cause to call the county when flooding is a threat, but the fire service isn’t the route to go.

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Spring-time flooding was again an issue on Fourteenth Street West in the north end of Simcoe this weekend in the built-up area east of the Windham East Quarter Line. As has happened in the past, a contributing factor was ditches plugged with snow and ice.

An excavator was called to the scene this weekend to clean out the ditches. By Monday morning, the water across the road had subsided.

In town, Norfolk County advises home and business owners to keep an eye on nearby catch basins to ensure they are free of ice and debris during thaws and major storm events. The key to good drainage in urban areas is a smooth-functioning storm sewer network.

MSonnenberg@postmedia.com

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