On Sunday, during the first weekend of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s new dedicated-duty firefighter program — which sees crews working the weekends instead of just being on-call — proved just how important it is to have fire services at the ready.

In this case, NOTL firefighters were able to arrive on scene within seven minutes. They had water on the flames in just 12 minutes.

That’s a big accomplishment that deserves kudos.

Seeing the photos of the aftermath, just a little bit longer and the house might have been beyond repair. It still may be, but in another scenario, those precious minutes could save the life of a family member, friend or pet. And mementoes.

That’s worth it. Even if it costs the town a few extra dollars. There’s no price tag on a life. And clearly, the dedicated crew program proved its worth in this instance.

If we need evidence that it can happen to anyone, this fire happened at the parental home of one of our volunteer firefighters.

None of us are invincible, and while it’s up to each of us to make sure we take care of our homes and have proper fire prevention measures in place (smoke alarms, planned exits and even sprinkler systems), it helps us sleep a little more soundly knowing there’s a team ready to leap to action when needed.

Kudos again to NOTL firefighters for jumping quickly to action. 

The town’s administration should recognize this important service and continue to support dedicated-duty firefighters in Niagara-on-the-Lake.