Year closes with a busy month for Norwich volunteer firefighters

Luke Edwards, Post Contributor

Wintry weather, and one particularly bad day, led Norwich Fire and Protective Services to respond to 44 calls last month, which is significantly higher than either of the previous two years.

Of those 44 calls that volunteer firefighters responded to, 14 were for motor vehicle collisions as winter storms made driving more treacherous. Other weather-related calls included things like responding to downed power lines.

“At one point I think we had nine fire calls in one day, so that’s pretty significant for us,” said Derek Van Pagee, director of fire and protective services.

Despite the busy end to the year, the overall volume for 2025 appears likely to end up in line with the previous year’s numbers, which remains down from 2023. Final hour totals for December 2025 hadn’t been calculated when Van Pagee presented to Norwich councillors on Jan. 13, but firefighters had logged approximately 2,353 hours last year, according to the director’s report. In 2024 firefighters logged 2,285 hours, and nearly 3,916 in 2023.

Van Pagee did note another increase, though in this case it was fully welcomed. The department applied for a $65,000 provincial grant to help with a Diesel exhaust project, but ended up receiving roughly $69,000.

Coun. Shaw Gear also thanked the firefighters for their support during the recent holiday season and Christmas parades.

“It was greatly appreciated the hard work done by the volunteer firefighter teams at the parades with their collection of non-perishable food goods. It looked like they were taking in quite a bit,” he said.