Dacre – For many years, Morley Kosmack and his wife, Anna, of Foymount, responded to numerous crashes and fire calls in their roles as fire chief and fire prevention officer, respectively, in Bonnechere Valley Township.
However, during the noon hour on Tuesday, the Kosmacks found themselves in a much different situation when the Bonnechere Valley Fire Department, along with Ontario Provincial Police officers from Killaloe, Renfrew County paramedics, Ornge Air and Hydro One responded in their time of need after their pick-up truck pulling a small utility trailer, left Highway 132, just east of the Highway 41 intersection, entered the ditch and collided with a hydro pole. The pole snapped, resulting in a transformer coming down on the truck as well as live hydro lines.
As trained firefighters, both of whom are now retired from the Bonnechere Valley Fire Department, they knew what to do – stay in the vehicle until emergency services arrived. They were able to report the mishap with a cell phone.
Within an hour, a crew from Hydro One in Cobden was on scene and shut off hydro. The Kosmacks were then carefully assessed by paramedics and although an Ornge Air ambulance had landed close by on the property of Aurelia and the late Bob Hanniman, it was not required as neither of the occupants of the Dodge truck suffered serious injuries in the crash.
However, as a precaution, they were transported to Renfrew Victoria Hospital to be checked over.
Their pet dog, Bowser, a lab, sustained a few cuts in the collision and he was treated by paramedics before he was taken home by Mr. Kosmack’s brother, Glen, and his wife, Donna.
