The Township of Emo approved a request from its fire department to obtain a cost quote for the installation of a wireless system for opening the building’s bay doors, at its regular council meeting on Tuesday.
The council also approved a financial plan proposal from the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) and chose to support Fort Frances High School’s “Chem-Free Grad” celebration.
The Emo Fire Department had requested the town look into installing wireless bay that can be activated using a remote control to replace its current button-operated system. Currently, opening the doors requires manual operation, causing drivers to have to wait for the door to close and the operator to rejoin the crew. During an emergency, this can waste crucial response time, resulting in a delayed response from fire services.
A new remote-activated system would eliminate the delay from waiting for a door to manually close while responding to emergencies in the area. The cost estimate in the quote approved by council totalled $4,680 plus tax, including labour, materials, electrical permits and inspection fees.
An OCWA proposal submitted to council to complete a water financial plan was also approved. The township is required to develop this plan under routine licensing renewal. The budget proposal totalled $8,000 and is expected to be finalized this July.
Council also decided to support Fort Frances High School’s drug- and smoke-free graduation celebration, offering $100 to help towards costs.
Chem Free Grad has been an annual tradition for the students at FFHS for decades. It will be held on June 25 from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. the following morning at Memorial Sports Centre and is supervised by parent volunteers.
Emo Mayor Harold McQuaker emphasized its importance, since it creates an environment for high school grads to celebrate where parents know their children are safe. “It’s a pretty nice thing,” McQuaker said. “They grabbed all their keys when they came in, nobody got them back until the morning. That’s just the way things were and nobody got hurt.”
