Editor;

It's Sunday morning, my house is quiet so no more excuses not to write this letter.. Simply put, Owen Sound's 10 St.Bridge is a disaster in the making.

I live on County Road 15, along the east shore of the harbour in the Municipality of Meaford, only a few hundred feet from Owen Sound. More specifically, Grey Road 15 becomes Third Ave.E. in Owen Sound. More significantly, it runs by the Owen Sound Fire Hall which is only four or five minutes from my home. The catch is that OSFD serves both the east and west sides of the harbor which also means it must cross west over the 10th St. bridge at times. However, The Inter-Township Fire Hall is on the west side of the habour and provides service for Georgian Bluffs and what once was Sydenham Township where I live. Thus, at times, it must proceed east over the 10th St. bridge.

I'm told informally that the two fire departments can ask for help from each other when more resources are needed. But that, it seems to me is only a partial solution. First response calls must still cross over the bridge which suggests that the fire trucks from the two services might well go past each other on the 10th St.Bridge, even in heavy periods of two-way traffic. As trucks and cars scramble get out of the way, they could end up on the sidewalks over the bridge where citizens are known to walk.

No, this scenario hasn't occurred - yet, but why wait for a disaster to act. It's time to folks to implement regional fire coverage where the two fire halls can be assigned full responsibility for their own side of the habour and get out of my way on the 10th St. bridge.

Jake Doherty
Leith