March 11, 2022 6:15am
The search for a missing girl is now into its sixth day.
Firefighters and members of the OPP have been in the Whirl Creek area since Sunday after they received reports of a missing 10-year old on March 6th.
Thanks to our #MutualAid partners today.
The search will continue tomorrow with firefighters from @ZorraTwp & @pertheast assisting @WestPerthON FF & @OPP_WR
Please keep the family in your prayers. https://t.co/BUkx2A8WGU
— William R. Hunter (@ChiefBillHunter) March 10, 2022
West Perth/Perth East Fire Chief Bill Hunter says the search has been extensive and has covered a wide area already.
And on Thursday teams swept north to south, trying to meet in the middle.
“We’ve had crews since Sunday, searching the Whirl Creek, which empties into the Thames River. So we’ve had crews working south from Mitchell along the Thames, and we also have St. Marys Fire Department working the Thames shoreline north from St. Marys.”
Chief Hunter says the resources that have been put into the search have been immense, as fire crews work alongside the OPP and get assistance from other crews locally.
“We certainly appreciate everything the OPP has brought to the table. The helicopter, the canine unit, ground search, the water crews with search and recovery, and then also all the fire departments that have been helping West Perth out. We’ve had requests from all over the province to send firefighters our way. So far we’ve been just using firefighters from within Perth County, but all the stations in the county are chipping in and we’ve got lots of boots on the ground.”
Hunter says obviously the situation is taxing not just physically on the crews, but emotionally, as well, given the circumstances of what they’re doing.
“As firefighters, we’re used to responding to an emergency, dealing with it, and leaving. Typically our incidents don’t last days. But that’s the case here, and everyone is holding up well so far. Not just physically demanding, but mentally and emotionally, too. We do have our own resources available, we have our own peer support team, and that team was actually notified on Sunday just to be available. Our chaplain, as well, he’s been with us since Sunday, so just having those resources available for our firefighters is certainly important. We also really appreciate the community and them letting us do the search and do what we need, and them helping out with meals and whatever other things they can think of, we really appreciate that.”
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