The Temiskaming Shores Fire Department – Station 1 (TS1FD) is the primary provider of wildland fire service within the City of Temiskaming Shores and the first call for surrounding townships and villages in the District of Timiskaming should they need additional resources. The Temiskaming Shores Fire Department is comprised of approximately 75 volunteer firefighters. The volunteer members are highly trained structural and wildland firefighters that respond to approximately 160 calls for service a year and cover a territory of approximately 176.67 km2.

The City of Temiskaming Shores has vast amounts of remote wilderness and waterways that are enjoyed all year round by countless citizens and visitors for recreation, hunting/fishing and work. Large portions of these remote areas are only accessible by means other than roads, such as ATVs, snowmobiles, hiking and aircraft.

It is the unfortunate reality that fires, set intentionally, accidentally or by mother nature, happen and people become trapped in these remote areas at a moment’s notice. Occasionally, first responders are not able to reach the scene of the emergency with traditional fire trucks and must find other means of reaching the person(s) and property. Responding to these types of Emergencies always comes with numerous complex issues that must be addressed and overcome in an expedient manner.

Currently, when a call for service in these remote areas comes in, the Temiskaming Shores Fire Department responds on foot and must rely on other agencies such as the OPP Helicopter from Orillia and the Ontario Fire Rangers from North Bay or Sudbury. The Temiskaming Shores Fire Department does not possess specialized equipment to respond to remote areas. In an emergency, every second counts and relying on these agencies can cause various issues and they may not be able to respond in a timely manner or at all. The equipment the OPP and Ministry agencies have are not properly outfitted to allow the fire service to bring the vital equipment to the scene of an emergency.

The members of the Haileybury Firefighters Association have kick-started this project by receiving a donated 2007 ARGO Body from Boart Longyear and are reaching out for assistance from various organizations with interests of the City of Temiskaming Shores & the surrounding areas in our goal of creating an off-road vehicle and trailer to be able to respond to calls for service in these difficult to reach locations. This vehicle would be retrofitted and purposed built to transport firefighters and equipment safely into an emergency scene. The vehicle would be based on the Kubota x1140 utility vehicle that would allow for custom-built storage to be installed on the back to carry gear, forestry hose, and pumps. Capable of being used with both wheels and a removable track system this vehicle will be designed to be used in all seasons and conditions that the North experiences.

Specialized equipment of this nature does not fall under the conventional firefighting apparatus and the City of Temiskaming Shores has not received any funding for this. Therefore, as the members of the Haileybury Firefighters Association would be the primary users, we are reaching out to various community partners to help us reach our goal and allow us to be able to bring effective firefighting and remote rescue response to serve the public despite the geographical challenges.

To show our appreciation for any help your organization may be able to provide, once the vehicle and trailer are purchased, company logos can be applied to the exterior of the trailer if desired. The trailer and vehicle will then be on display at community events throughout the District for years to come. Local media will also be contacted upon delivery of the vehicle and a press release will be put out thanking the donors and explaining the project. TSFD is also willing to assist donors where possible to allow companies to receive exposure for their donations. We expect this vehicle to have a minimum life span of 20 years making it a long-term investment for the City and District of Timiskaming.