This picture of Melcalfe Fire Department members was taken years ago on Victoria Street by Ottawa photographer Bill Newton. Provided by Chief Peter Griffin, the picture was a proof and Mr. Newton stamped it as such to prevent it being used in any way. Yvan Dagenais Appliance & . Refrigeration Repairs to all makes of Major Home Appliances @ HOME SERVICE @ 445-5765 Proprietor Yvan Dagenais R.R. No. 2, FELTON CRES. RUSSELL, ONTARIO (613) 445-5765 OSGOODE FIREFIGHTERS by Brenda Stewart They refinished the inside of Station 1 at Metcalfe. Then they tackled construction of a station from the.ground up -- No. 4 at Drummond's Corners. Next the busy Osgoode Township Fire Department put a truck bay and municipal library in the Greely Station. This year, they turned their at- tention to the Metcalfe Station once again, adding two offices and a training room. All the labor was volunteer and much of the money came from fund-raising events, said Chief Peter Griffin in tracing the history of his energetic, 60-member crew. The next project, he said, is to raise $11,000 for a hydraulic claw which helps extricate car crash vic- tims. Like other Castor area fire departments, the Osgoode volunteers have come a long way. In early days, fire regulations re- quired each home to keep two buckets and a ladder handy. Water came from a community well, or any individual pumps and wells available. Ladders were made by the blacksmith and hung down over roofs to make climb- ing a steep tin or wooden shingle roof easier. In the last 10 years, the only house still with the ladder on the roof was Gerald Morris former residence in Metcalfe, Chief Grif- fin says. Chimney fires were the most common type in those days. When«a fire occurred, the town clerk or any available person would ring a bell. Also, through the party telephone lines, the - Operator could let everyone know about the fire. Page 11 You've come a long way, lads. Later on, the buckets were moved to the old drill hall; that burned during the war years, says Mr. Griffin. The hand pumper followed. It was a cylinder with two big sets of handles on each side. Several men on each handle could produce quite a stream of water, says the chief. Then came the war-time trailer pump. A gasoline engine ran the pump and it drew water through hose lines from the nearest water hole. "The '49 International was bright red with Metcalfe Fire Department written on the side and a ladder on top. It was the village's pride and joy."' "Today we carry 800 gallons of water along with everything else." The fire department has four triple combination pumpers with ladders, hoses and water, plus a very long list of other equipment. As a backup to the pumper trucks the department has three tankers which hold 1,600 gallons of water each. An emergency van and a rescue truck are also in use. When a fire occurs, com- munication -- depending on the size of the fire -- consists of 15 phones and a coded paging system with 28 paging devices. In the case of a large fire, there is a fanout procedure in which each person notified can enlist the services of an extra man. Co-operation with neighbour- ing areas is always maintained. In the case of a very large fire, they help each other out. '"*When there is danger, we do not hesitate," says Mr. Griffin. Classified FOR SALE : Large Woods freezer. Small fridge attached. Call 821-3388. Evenings B.S. Eskenazi, Box 74, Kenmore. - FOR SALE ae: Soya bean seed. Call 445-5667 Will babysit my house weekdays Mon-through Fri., 1/2 mile E. Embrun, 443-2277. Bonnie Russell, P.O. Box 727, Embrun, Ontario, KOA 1W0. COCHRANE'S DAIRY LTD. Russell, Ontario. FRESH DAIRY PRODUCTS -. HOME DELIVERY COMPETITIVE PRICES Phone 445-2959 LOCALLY OWNED 'Maria Bianca's GIFT VARIETY SHOP We are proud to inform you that we now Carry 95 Mill Street Russell, Ont. 445-2875 Fabergé line of products including Babe, Tigress, Brut and the all new Cellini. Also introducing Wet Soap in Floral & Musk Scent Umbrellas, Umbrellas, Umbrellas $2.49 Stock up on Marbles 59¢ Kites $1.99 Bolo Bats 59¢ Bubble Soap 89¢ Skipping Rope, Single 59¢ Double 99¢ Jet Balls 10¢ $2.99 $9.99 OPENING SOON Professional Pool Room : Second Level of Feed Store Pool Table & Pin Balls