Baine Harbour Celebrates New Firefighting Tanker Truck

Christmas spirit filled the community of Baine Harbour this weekend as residents turned out to the annual holiday parade and marked the arrival of a new tanker truck for the Baine Harbour Fire Department. On behalf of the Honourable Kevin O’Brien, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services, the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education and MHA for Burin-Placentia West, presented the vehicle keys to area firefighters and council Saturday (December 22).

“Baine Harbour’s new firefighting vehicle is one of 22 new trucks which have been arriving over the last few months in communities throughout the province,” said Minister O’Brien. “Valued at over $219,000 this new, state-of-the-art machine will provide a level of comfort for residents if they are faced with fire or other emergencies. Every individual has a responsibility to ensure good fire safety practices in the home and working smoke alarms in all homes and cabins, but if an emergency does strike, the well-trained volunteers in Baine Harbour now have a new asset to help friends and neighbours protect their homes and businesses.”

The Baine Harbour tanker was cost-shared 90/10 between the Provincial Government and Baine Harbour and is one of 22 new vehicles announced last year that have been arriving this fall in communities throughout the province. Other new vehicles arrivals have included Harbour Grace, Pouch Cove, Burgeo, Bonavista, Norman’s Cove-Long Cove, Clarenville, Glovertown, Bay de Verde, Lourdes, Meadows, Labrador City, Bishop’s Falls, Glovertown, Musgrave Harbour, North West River, Trepassey, Twillingate, Embree, Ming’s Bight, Harbour Breton, and Port au Choix.

"This new vehicle will help the dedicated volunteers of the Baine Harbour Fire Department provide fire protection services to communities in the northern area of the Burin Peninsula,” said Minister Jackman. “I am very pleased to be a part of this truck’s arrival and to see the continued support this department receives from the residents in this region. Having served 21 years as a firefighter with this department, I know of the work and commitment involved and I am confident this vehicle will serve the members and residents well."

Budget 2012: People and Prosperity maintains $1.7 million in annual funding for firefighting infrastructure in addition to a $500,000 annual investment in firefighting equipment.

Since the creation of Fire and Emergency Services - Newfoundland and Labrador in 2007, the Provincial Government has contributed more than $14.2 million towards new firefighting vehicles in the province and in excess of $4 million for equipment, with a particular focus on personal protective equipment. Combined with the municipal contribution, more than $20 million in new equipment has been infused into community fire halls throughout the province.

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Photo: The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education and MHA for Burin-Placentia West, presents the keys to the new firefighting tanker vehicle to members of the Baine Harbour Fire Department.

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2012 12 24                             10:15 a.m.