Anglers off the hook

[Tdel]

The Orillia Packet & Times

 

Local News

 

 

Anglers off the hook

By BOB BRUTON, QMI Agency

 

 

Barrie won’t be billing anglers rescued from a Lake Simcoe ice floe last month, because it can’t.

 

Although it cost the city about $4,600 for use of the fire department’s ice-rescue boat and firefighters’ time, the mutual-aid agreement between the City of Barrie and the Township of Oro-Medonte currently does not allow for a city bill.

 

“We were called by Oro-Medonte (Township) and supported them,” said Jim Sales, Barrie’s general manager of community operations. “We have no mechanism (to charge the anglers).”

 

Last week, Oro-Medonte council said it would attempt to recover its costs of almost $5,000 for rescuing 26 anglers March 9, when the ice floe on which they were fishing broke away and then began to break up.

 

But Barrie Fire Chief John Lynn said the city could only directly recover its costs for an ice rescue in Kempenfelt Bay.

 

“We can’t enforce fees bylaws outside the City of Barrie,” he said. “We have no mechanism for the City of Barrie to recoup the costs from those anglers. The only way for the fees to be recouped would be for Oro-Medonte to do it.”

 

Township officials did ask Barrie what its costs were for the ice rescue. The Simcoe County mutual-aid plan is triggered by a request from one municipality to another, or others.

 

“But there’s no charging back and forth,” Lynn said.

 

Following the December 2007 Five Points fire, for example, there were no bills when firefighters from other municipalities helped in Barrie.

 

Lynn said Barrie’s costs from the March 9 rescue were for staff and equipment.

 

“Because we sent firefighters out to Oro-Medonte, we had to call in overtime staff to protect the City of Barrie,” he said.

 

There was also the cost of operating the ice-rescue boat and equipment lost during the rescue.

 

“We put life-jackets on some of the stranded fishermen,” Lynn said. “We never got them back. They were special rescue vests and quite pricey, but they saved lives.”

 

Sales said there will be future discussions with Barrie’s mutual-aid partners and a different billing mechanism could be included in those talks.

 

The Lake Simcoe rescue lasted more than three hours and cost Oro-Medonte $4,225 for 13 township firefighters at $100 per hour and $650 for the use of the municipality’s new airboat.

 

There were warnings by OPP in the media about dangerous ice conditions, and the anglers didn’t “exercise reasonable care” by going onto Lake Simcoe that day, said Oro-Medonte Deputy Fire Chief Hugh Murray.

 

Police were also exasperated by the anglers, wondering how much more plain the warnings could be to stay off the ice.

 

Ramara Township and Innisfil firefighters were also involved in the rescue, as were Simcoe County paramedics and York Regional police.

 

— With files from Robin MacLennan

[ckrb2007]

I still think $100/hr for a rescue worker is cheap. As a fibre optic splicer, my company charges at least that much for me....if not more. Sure, I take my life in my hands work the night shift in downtown Toronto, but still!! hahaha

[cheaptackle]

They're not entirely off the hook - Oro-Medonte is charging them about 200.00 each as per previous posts & reports. All this article is saying is that Barrie can't charge them as it was outside their boundaries, and there is no program in place allowing Barrie to charge Oro-Medonte. Good thing for those rescued as Oro would then in turn add the Barrie charges to their own plus anything else from Innisfil, York Region & the OPP if such back charging were allowed. I'm sure the total bill from ALL involved rescue units would be more like 30 grand if it were all tallied up - helicopters gotta be around 1500.00 per hour I would think.

Too bad it wasn't possible to predict such a large floe would break off when it did, but even with the limited season opportunities driving the urge to be out it was questionable for them to be out there. If it had been one or two people I could see all the namecalling, but 26? Something must have indicated some degree of security on the ice that morning for that many to venture out. Hind sight is 20/20 - one would think. Wasn't it just a week later that 2 more were rescued of an ice floe in Innisfil? Now those ones should be charged!

 

Michael

[kickingfrog]

Last night's news mentioned that the special life jackets cost about $300 per. While I can see both sides of the "pay or not to pay" argument the people who were rescued should either return the lifejackets or pay for the item they kept.

[BillM]

Oro charges for everything, even though I think those people were completely INSANE for being out there, I'm not surprised that specific township tried to get some $$$ back, lol. If it was Barrie, it would have never been mentioned.

[woodenboater]

It'd be bold to keep something they don't need and the fire dept does.They're probably keeping them as a "souvenir" which if so, is totally off in my books.

[COUNTRYBOY]

It'd be bold to keep something they don't need and the fire dept does.They're probably keeping them as a "souvenir" which if so, is totally off in my books.

 

 

YA, KEEPING THEM IS REAL SLEEZY. THEY SHOULD MAKE A DONATION TO THE FIRE HALL FOR SAVING THEIR ASS.

[Rizzo]

“We put life-jackets on some of the stranded fishermen,” Lynn said. “We never got them back. They were special rescue vests and quite pricey, but they saved lives.”

 

seriously...how in the world did they not get these things back? 300.00 each? Great. The fishermen are idiots who cost us money, the people who rescue them, although doing an admirable job, don't even think to get the jackets back? The wasting of tax dollars is never ending. Should the rescuers pay for not getting the lifejackets back? If my staff lost thousands in equipment there would be heck to pay...not, oh well, we hope they give them back. Sorry for the rant but the amount of waste on all sides is mind boggling.

[Roy]

Calm down. These vests are $37.47 at Walmart but they're sold to government institutions at the special volume discount price of $300.

[kickingfrog]

seriously...how in the world did they not get these things back? 300.00 each? Great. The fishermen are idiots who cost us money, the people who rescue them, although doing an admirable job, don't even think to get the jackets back? The wasting of tax dollars is never ending. Should the rescuers pay for not getting the lifejackets back? If my staff lost thousands in equipment there would be heck to pay...not, oh well, we hope they give them back. Sorry for the rant but the amount of waste on all sides is mind boggling.

 

That crossed my mind but I figured they rescures were too busy going back out to get more floaters.