Adam Bramburger
Beaver Staff
Three times a day for the past 30 years, Pat Tugwood has stood at the ready beside Dundas Street in Deseronto and been available to help children cross the road to get to school.
Working on one of the town’s busiest routes and meeting several generations of children might suggest she plays a prominent role in the small town, but as Mayor Norm Clark noted Monday, sometimes it’s easy for people to take for granted people like Tugwood who give of themselves for the safety of others.
That evening, town council scheduled an appreciation evening for its crossing guards and its fire service. In particular, Clark said they wanted to recognize Tugwood and fire department veterans, chief Dale Loney and training officer Paul Glass, who have completed 25 years of service.
“It’s not very often we see people staying in the same job for the length of time these people have been in it. We thought as council it would be nice to celebrate their years with us. There’s never enough thank-yous. Sometimes we should say thank you more than we do,” Clark said.
The mayor said in the time he’s spent in Deseronto since 1972, including a career in policing, he could not remember ever being called about an accident involving school children.
“The crossing guards who are up there every day should be really proud of that,” he said.
Clark also had high praise for the firefighters who risk their lives to save people and property.
“As far as I’m concerned, we have a fire department that’s second to none… We don’t worry about you. I say that meaning that, as council, we sometimes have other departments we have to look at, talk about, and make decisions on. The fire department, we know you’re going to do the job we want you to do. We worry a little bit about safety, but we know if something happens you boys are there.”
He said local firefighters get the same types of calls and take on the same risk as peers in larger cities do.
Tugwood said she started her job as a crossing guard after Raymond Kemp approached as a replacement to Bill Woodcock, who couldn’t continue on because of his legs.
For 12 years, she monitored the corner at the top of the hill between Centre Street and Hwy 2. After that, she moved west down the street to the corner of Green Street, which was closer to her home at the time. Over the years, she’s enjoyed interactions with children and notes past students still stop to wave or chat. Some of those children now have their own children heading off to school.
“The kids really work with me,” she said. “They know if they see something coming too quick to just wait because that car or truck isn’t going to slow down. That’s the big issue. It’s only supposed to be 40 km an hour up there, but they don’t go 40.”
Tugwood said she hopes to be able to serve as a crossing guard for several more years as she likes getting out, but her own health will dictate that. She’s got arthritis in one knee now and she fears she might not be able to do a job she enjoys too much longer.
She noted it’s been hard over the years to adapt to a range of weather that has included snow, rain, and strong winds.
“I don’t like the weather some days, but nobody does,” Tugwood said. She credited councillor and former mayor Clarence Zieman for getting crossing guards heavy coats to break the wind.
The schedule — shifts from 8:30-9 a.m., then 11-11:40 a.m., and from 3:20-4:05 p.m. is also not for everyone, as it requires some discipline to schedule around those time blocks.
Loney says he’s been involved with the fire department so long, he forgot what prompted him to join.
“I think it was the same reason as a lot of guys,” he said. “You want to help out.”
Over the years, Loney said he’s had a few close calls on the job. The department used to respond regularly on Hwy 401 and they never know what they’d find as they rushed to a turned-over tractor-trailer.
He also remembered one night when he and two other firefighters were alone arriving to an apartment where three children were said to be trapped in a building. They didn’t follow protocol, they simply wanted to save lives.
He recalls finding a women trapped in a closet and having to find a window to get her out.
As that happened, the Fire Marshal arrived on scene and instead of an award, the firefighters got a lecture. Still, Loney said when he heard children were trapped inside, his instinct was to go in and help them no matter what.
Loney said being a deputy chief, then recently the chief, has changed firefighting for him as instead of going into a building and fighting fire, his role is more administrative, having to stand back and direct. Still, there’s some joy in that.
“I really enjoy working with the younger lads,” he said, adding they’re full of questions.
Getting to 25 years has been trying at times, but ultimately he’s enjoyed it.
“There have probably been a hundred times where I said I was going to quit, but you start remembering the good times,” he said. Loney credited his wife for being his backbone during those years.
Glass said family is crucial for firefighters to have longevity in their careers.
“The biggest thing people don’t necessarily see with a volunteer department is it’s these people over here who make it work,” he said, pointing to his family. “If your wife’s not on board and your kids aren’t on board, it isn’t going to work.”
As volunteers, that service is always coming as an extra, often on top of other work and priorities.
Glass worked at Milliken Industries and his experiences there sparked an interest in the fire department. He joked about having a longtime aversion to fire, also.
“I never liked fire, so I guess this was the best way to deal with it,” he said.
Glass said he grew into his role training younger firefighters as he became one of the senior men involved with the force and added he finds it’s a lot of fun being able to share knowledge.
“They’re good and they still get along with us older guys,” he said. “We’ve got a good mix of guys here.”
Clark noted he’s been really impressed with the range of ideas Glass brings to his position.
His sense of passion and duty was also evident as he was preparing to cut his celebration short Monday to hold a training session that night.