[On behalf of Enbridge Gas, West Nipissing Fire & Emergency Services and the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council]
Municipality of West Nipissing, ON, Thursday, November 21, 2024 – Enbridge Gas Inc. (Enbridge Gas) is helping West Nipissing Fire & Emergency Service purchase firefighting training materials, through Safe Community Project Assist–a program with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC) that supplements existing training for Ontario volunteer and composite fire departments in the communities where Enbridge Gas operates.
“At Enbridge, safety is at the centre of everything we do and a value we live by,” says Kerstin Phinney, Administrative Assistant III, Operations and Regional Performance, Enbridge Gas. “We are committed to providing emergency response training support to Ontario firefighters so they can continually learn, improve, and protect the vibrant and healthy communities they call home.”
This year’s $125,000 investment from Enbridge Gas will be shared by 25 Ontario fire departments, including West Nipissing Fire & Emergency Service. Funds are used to purchase educational materials to assist in training firefighters in life-saving techniques.
Since the launch of Safe Community Project Assist in 2012, 369 grants have been provided to Ontario fire departments for additional firefighter training.
“Fire departments train every single day and that’s why it’s important for them to have access to the right materials to keep their members and the public safe. Safe Community Project Assist helps departments afford some of these training tools and improves the ongoing learning that occurs across Ontario,” says John McBeth, Acting Ontario Fire Marshal, and Acting Chair of the FMPFSC.
“West Nipissing Fire and Emergency Service is proud to partner with Enbridge Gas and the Fire Marshal’s Public Safety Council with ongoing training resources to meet current and future safety and service needs of its members,” says Fire Chief Frank Loeffen. “The assistance to purchase IFSTA 8 Firefighter 1 and 2 manuals will provide a standard training curriculum for the department members.”
About West Nipissing Fire and Emergency Service
The Municipality of West Nipissing Fire and Emergency Service, through amalgamation in 1999, protects an area of approximately 2,000 square km with a population of 14,500. The municipality consists of urban and rural settings, including response to incidents in and around Lake Nipissing, with the Trans-Canada highway 17 going through the municipality east-west and highway 64 north-south. The fire department consists of nine stations with approximately 85-90 volunteers and four full-time suppression staff who respond to 250-300 calls for service annually.
About the FMPFSC
The FMPFSC was established in 1993 with a mission to help create “a world where no one is hurt by fire.” Chaired by the Ontario Fire Marshal, the FMPFSC promotes fire prevention and public education through sponsorships and partnerships with various groups and individuals with an interest in public safety. Follow the FMPFSC on X @FMPFSC.
About Enbridge Gas
Enbridge Gas is Canada’s largest natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario, with 2023 marking its 175th anniversary of serving customers. The distribution business provides safe, affordable, reliable energy to about 3.9 million customers and is innovating to contribute to a lower-carbon energy future. The storage and transmission business offers a variety of storage and transportation services to customers at the Dawn Hub, the largest integrated underground storage facility in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Enbridge Gas is owned by Enbridge (ENB), a Canadian-based leader in energy transportation and distribution. Visit enbridgegas.com to learn more.
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For more information, please contact:
Fire Chief Frank Loeffen, West Nipissing Fire & Emergency Service
Tel: 705-753-6920
Email: floeffen@wnfs.ca
Kathy Ash, Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council
Tel: 1-866-379-6668 ext. 4
Email: kathy.ash@firesafetycouncil.com
Enbridge Gas Media
Email: enbridgegasmedia@enbridgegas.com