Bracebridge , ON
THE FOLLOWING IS AN INTERVIEW WITH MURRAY MEDLEY OF BRACEBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT
FIRE DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT :
Bracebridge Fire Chief Murray
Medley has always had a love of fire trucks . He was recruited to join Bracebridge 42 years ago by his brotherin-law , who was a volunteer firefighter with the department at the time . In 2000 , Murray volunteered to take on the position of part-time fire chief . In 2007 , when balancing the position with his landscaping business became too much , he was offered the full-time position he is in today .
This month we ’ d like to spotlight Murray and the Bracebridge Fire Department for their commendable service and dedication to keeping the town of Bracebridge and the surrounding area safe .
TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE .
Well , it ’ s grown up over the years . We had a bit of a manufacturing base up until the mid-70s . When those businesses started to pull out around the late ’ 70s , we started to go back into tourism . In recent years , we ’ ve become a retirement community , with a lot of the population coming from tourists who have visited over the years .
IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT BRACEBRIDGE THAT PRESENTS CHALLENGES FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT ?
We cover 350 square miles , so we have a lot of areas to serve . That can mean a lot of travel time . To go to some of the further extents , we ’ re looking at 25 kilometers away from our hall . That combination of the wide-ranging rural area and our downtown core can be challenging , especially with the old buildings being so close together . Over the 42 years I ’ ve been here , we ’ ve had a few fires there . We ’ ve been fortunate up to this point , but it ’ s always a worry .
We also tend to get high water in the springtime . In 2019 , there were actually some pretty serious floods . With the tourism buildout we ’ ve had around the water , the areas that could normally absorb the water aren ’ t available anymore , so that ’ s also something we watch closely now .
WHAT ’ S YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY WORKING WITH BRACEBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT ?
I ’ d say the relationships I ’ ve built . It ’ s a really interesting group of people we ’ ve brought together here . They come from all aspects of the community . Over the years I ’ ve made some really , really good friends .
HOW DOES HAVING MEMBERS WITH SUCH DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS IMPACT THE DEPARTMENT ?
The diversity is really important . For example , when you have half a dozen people involved in the construction business on the team , they can offer a wealth of information about what we need to be cautious of around different buildings . It ’ s great to have that input .
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