On June 28, 2022, a Township of Hamilton fire truck left the roadway after leaving the scene of an accident and rolled into the ditch on Beaver Meadow Road. The five firefighters on board were taken to hospital and released the same night. The truck from Station #3 (Harwood) sustained heavy damage.
While the truck continues to be assessed for damage by the Township’s insurance company, Kelly Serson, Director of Emergency Services for the Township of Hamilton assures residents and visitors that there is no gap in service because of this incident.
“We are incredibly thankful that our firefighters involved are safe. While this truck is offline, we have put back into service one of our recently decommissioned trucks. We have also moved trucks between our three stations to ensure that we continue to provide the high-level of service and emergency response coverage expected from our ratepayers” stated Serson.
The Township is reviewing the incident as part of its continual process improvement practices to mitigate future risk and events. A review of the data contained in the truck’s black box indicates that the truck was driving at 51 km/h in an 80 km/h zone when it caught the shoulder while moving over to allow a large on-coming vehicle to pass. The incident occurred less than 1km from the accident scene fire crews were leaving, and it is believed that when the truck entered the shoulder of the road, the 11,300 litres of water (3000 US gallons) shifted in the tank, causing the truck to roll into the ditch.
The Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police have completed their investigation and no charges have been laid.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
