Bruce Power held a recognition luncheon October 16 for employees who volunteer for their municipal fire department. Pictured are Bruce Power employees who volunteer with the Saugeen Shores Fire Department as well as Mike Rencheck, left, Bruce Power’s President and CEO; Phil Eagleson, second from left, Saugeen Shores Fire Chief; former NHL hockey player Glenn Healy, second from right, who spoke at the luncheon; and James Scongack, far right, Bruce Power’s Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Operational Services.

Bruce Power held a recognition luncheon for volunteer firefighters October 16 and announced the expansion of its training agreement with local departments.

In an October 16 media release, Bruce Power’s Emergency and Protective Services department has always worked closely with local fire departments, often aiding them by providing an air truck that provides fresh breathing air to first responders during emergency situations. With a state-of-the-art training facility on site, the company has also provided opportunities for local firefighters to hone their skills in a safe environment. The fire training facility will now be offered, free of charge, to any municipal fire department in Bruce, Grey, and Huron County, said James Scongack, Bruce Power’s Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Operational Services.

“Bruce Power has dozens of employees who volunteer with their local fire department and we’re happy they take the knowledge they gain at work back to their communities,” Scongack said. “To this end, we felt it was important to allow firefighters in Bruce, Grey and Huron to hone their skills at our fire training facility," he added.

“At Bruce Power, our number one priority is safety first and we want that goal to extend to the first responders in our communities as much as possible, so improving municipal access to our state-of-the-art facility was a natural progression," said Scongack.

Bruce Power opened its $25 million fire training facility in 2015. It includes a mock-up of a turbine generator, which allows firefighters to practice in realistic scenarios. Propane-fuelled props, producing fire and smoke, simulate a variety of situations, and thermal cameras, located throughout the building, capture video footage and stream it back to a central control room. The main building, which can be used year round, also features a 50-foot tower for high-angle rescue training. There are also a number of outdoor fire simulators including a car, forklift, and transformer.