Posted February, 2002

A visit by Sergeant Guglick and the Fire Department

Sunday January 20 was a hugely busy day at the rink. There were two birthday campfire groups as well as the usual crowd at the rink clubhouse. When the birthday campfires were over and the people had left, a big wind came up. It must have fanned a few left-over sparks back into life at the big campfire circle near the basketball court, and so a leftover piece of firewood was re-ignited. Three teenagers without much to do came by as it was getting dark, and had an idea. They took that small piece of firewood and stuck it inside a hole in one of the big logs that serves as a fire circle bench. None of this was observed by the busy rink staff.

By coincidence, Sgt.Bob Guglick of the Community Response Unit of Fourteen Division Toronto Police Service came by around 6 p.m. to say hello to the rink staff. Just as he entered the clubhouse, some dog walkers came in the opposite door to report large flames coming out of the fire circle log. Sgt. Guglick and the rink staff went over to look, and then the sergeant returned to his cruiser to get a fire extinguisher. But in the meantime someone else had called the fire department, and they came with their big fire truck with sirens going. The staff at first thought that this was what the sergeant meant when he said he was getting a fire extinguisher. Some fire extinguisher! In the end, the fire truck pulled up right beside the big log and hosed it down with a lot of water. Sgt. Guglick saw the three young guys leaving, and spoke to them about their foolishness. He said afterwards - sometimes you just have to tell them YOU KNOW, and that's enough. We agree.

But every cloud has a silver lining. One little boy at the rink was unhappy and tired and crying. His parents couldn't cheer him up. Then the zamboni came out to clean the ice, and that got his interest. Then right after that, the fire truck pulled up. What a rescue from grief: two of his favourite trucks within ten minutes.