August 1, 2007 Westmount’S Newspaper
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WESTMOUNT INDEPENDENT August 1, 2007 Westmount’s newspaper. Vol. 1 No. 5 Many fail to heed evacuation orders at Alexis Nihon Fire ignites highrise concerns By Laureen Sweeney never leaving a stove on unattended and in heeding advice to evacuate. A recent highrise fire that caused an es - Failure to follow evacuation procedures timated $100,000 in damage to one apart - also happens at other large buildings, he ment has fanned flames of concern by fire explained. officials and at least one tenant. And longtime Plaza Tower resident Many residents did not evacuate the John Johnson said he believed such com - upper levels of the 33-storey Plaza Tower placency is compounded at his building by For story, apartments as directed during the supper - a number of short-term tenants – “tour - time fire July 17, said Fire Prevention ists” – “who don’t know the procedures.” see paper archive. Chief Daniel de Vries. “The evacuation did not go well be - Welcome to the “Hotel Alexis Nihon”? cause people always think it’s a false And the latest incident, he said, simply alarm,” he explained. fuels the complaints he has voiced over many years to city council alleging the Kitchen gutted build ing operates some units as a hotel. The fire gutted a kitchen on the 17th (Plaza Tower is, in fact, listed in the Yel - floor after a stove burner was reportedly low Pages in English and French under turned on under a coffeemaker while the “hotels”, stating in a display ad that un - tenant went down to the IGA. furnished apartments are “also” available). No injuries were reported, he said, but Johnson, who lives the incident became a good lesson in on the 14th floor, said continued on page 2 Dispatcher Claudette Gauthier signs off By Laureen Sweeney Even as she speaks, she’s interrupted by Affiliated Real Estate Agent a call from a citizen requesting special at - She was on duty for the memorable tention at his property while out-of-town. Buying, Selling Alexis Nihon fire in 1986 and for seven At the same time, there’s information days during Ice Storm in 1998. or Renting coming in from a parking inspector on the And now after 22 years on the job, Please Call Me road, and a patrol car to dispatch. They all Claudette Gauthier is retiring as senior require times and other information to be dispatcher for Westmount’s protective re cord ed. services, at the hub of radio and phone CATHY communications for Public Security, and Calls never stop GORGEOUS “LE ROC the fire department before its move into If ever there was a multi-tasking job, MOORE FLEURI” Montreal’s island-wide service. this is probably it. Fabulous views from 12th floor. Two bed - rooms, two bathrooms, hardwood floors, “We’re the nerve centre,” she says, jug - “It’s our job to be the eyes and ears of 51 4 granite counters. New top of the line gling calls on her last day, Friday the 13th the community,” she ex - 969 -5900 appliances. $795,000 or $4,500/month. (of July). plains. “We even moni - continued on page 2 Your Independent Choice in Wealth Management For further information on our financial services, visit our website 2 – WESTMOUNT INDEPENDENT – August 1, 2007 They helped with crowd control and as - 55 firefighters on hand to help Alexis Nihon residents sistance to residents in re-entering the building. level of alarm by one because of the evac - PSO Tina Lanzon just happened to be continued from page 1 uation need,” Chief de Vries said. at Alexis Nihon Plaza, parked on St. Cath - the evacuation orders had been very clear. erine St., when the fire trucks began ar - Once the preliminary alarm became a Large firefighter presence riving, he said. She called Sgt. Sedgwick general one (characterized by continuous A total of 55 firefighters and 16 fire en - who joined her at the scene. ringing), “a very loud voice could be heard gines arrived, along with numerous fire Chief de Vries said Westmount was not in the hallway over an intercom alerting cars, vans, and police vehicles. “I counted called because the Plaza Tower was con - everyone to proceed down the stairs as 47 emergency vehicles,” Johnson says. sidered to be in Montreal, but this is being quickly as possible.” While Westmount Public Security was changed to Westmount. The Alexis Nihon He immediately joined those who did not called for assistance by the fire depart - complex straddles the border. leave. ment, two officers were on the scene, said Residents were slowly allowed back in - “There were some people who needed Sgt. Dave Sedgwick. side after about two hours, he said. help badly,” he said. “One man in his eighties, who has trouble walking, told me he had been picked up by a young man and carried down 10 storeys!” Dispatcher to spend This is the French display ad in the 2006 Yellow Evacuation help Pages directory. The English one is on Page 181. more time with family Need assistance in evacuating a house or Registration for evacuation assistance continued from page 1 “My dream,” she says, “would be to apart ment in event of fire or other emergency? According to Chief De Vries, 70 resi - tor the Public Works radio, keep tabs on open up an Angel House to help teens Persons who do are encouraged to register with where their people are and listen for calls who need special care when they transi - the Mont real Fire Department by following dents of the building are registered with the instructions on this form. Once five or the fire department as needing assistance from them for assistance.” tion from the social services system to more residents are re gister ed at any one in evacuation. But he suspects there may Combined with emergency situations living on their own at age 18.” building, its management is notified to record be others who have not registered (see sep - are the more routine calls for lost pets, Not only has Claudette trained nu - those apart ments inside the fire alarm panel, arate story). complaints about cars blocking drive - merous dispatchers over the years, but where they can be quickly found by fire crews. Firefighters assisted those so regis - ways and numerous other daily prob - she also became a strong advocate for tered, starting at the upper floors of the 33- lems with which Claudette has become workers’ rights. She served as president storey building. so familiar. of the city’s white collar union and nego - Interestingly, he said, “people wonder - “Yes. I know who you’re talking tiated its first labour agreement after its ed afterward why we had broken in a door about,” she says to one caller. accreditation. on the 6th floor. It was because one of the Claudette also served one summer as In 1985, when she joined the fire de - residents who left the building told us he a patroller in Westmount Park where she partment, she was one of the first female had left the stove on.” had the opportunity to meet many local dispatchers in the mutual aid system, In the case of the apartment where the residents face-to-face. where her voice quickly became identi - fied with Westmount over the airwaves. fire started, Chief de Vries said the tenant Positive experience discovered it full of smoke on opening the But times change, she notes, with a door. The sprinkler head just inside acti - “I really enjoy speaking with citizens,” hint of nostalgia in her voice. vated simultaneously and the tenant im - she explains. “I’ve always felt part of the She’s already outlasted many of the mediately shut the door and pulled the family here. But it’s time to move on.” staff with whom she worked closely alarm, “which was the right thing to do.” Claudette plans to teach part-time – under crisis situations. she holds an international training cer - Building security called 911 at 6:13 pm Changing times and firefighters from Westmount’s Station tificate in emergency measures commu - 76 and St. Mathieu’s Station 10 responded nications. And one of her greatest feelings of initially, followed by others. “We raised the She also wants to spend more time loss came with the merger of the fire with her family: a daughter, two grand - department into Montreal’s island-wide daughters, and five teenage foster chil - service. With it also went her networking BBQ briquettes dren, three of whom she’s been raising with 911 and Urgences Santé through ignite home for seven years. the dispatching of the first responder Barbecue chefs using briquettes: take heed. Going away? PSOs will check out property A house at 121 Arlington Ave. sustained estimated damages of $20,000 July 7 The Public Security Unit has already re - formation to someone listed as a refer - when a bag of briquettes caught fire. ceived more than 220 requests this year ence. Fire officials said that somehow one or for Special Passing Attention, most related On leaving for vacation, residents are more coals from a hibachi slipped into the to the summer vacation period. advised to cancel newspapers, arrange for bag when more were being added. The Officers call daily at such addresses to the lawn to be mowed, lock all windows bag was subsequently taken inside, its look out for telltale signs of absence that and doors carefully, use timers to turn on contents igniting. Firefighters were called could tip off a would-be burglar. Parcels, lights at night and take other measures to about 6:20 pm.