4- The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 2, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Senior grateful to firefighters for coming to her aid By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF They didn't carry her out of a burning building, but what they did do still means the world to one Oakville resident who didn't know who to turn to in her time of need. Elisbeth Mulder, 80, is offering a huge thank you to the Oakville Fire Department, and in particular the firefighters of Fire Station #5, for coming to her aid early Sunday morning when her basement began to fill with water. "It came in from all sides. It came from under the stair- case, from the back where the furnace was, just everywhere," said Mulder. "My husband used to help me with this sort of thing, but he's been gone for a while now." Mulder had spent Christmas with her children, however, they had since departed to visit other relatives and as such were too far away to help her. Fixing the problem herself was also not an option as Mulder's arthritis limits her mobility. "I didn't know what to do or who I should phone so, I called the police non-emer- gency number," said Mulder. The police advised her to call the non-emergency number for the Oakville Fire Department, which Mulder promptly did. "Within about five minutes they were here. They came in a big truck and they went down into the basement," she said. The firefighters found that Mulder's sump pump was malfunctioning and so they opened it up and somehow got it working again. Mulder said the firefighters took this act of kindness one step further and actually cleaned up the mess the flood- ing had caused. "They were like angels sent from heaven because I just didn't know what to do," said Mulder. "They were so nice and courteous and they cleaned up everything. I thank them from the bottom of my heart." Platoon Chief Bill Forbes of the Oakville Fire Department said responding to these types of calls are all just part of the job. "We are here to serve the public, especially in these times," said Forbes. "Seniors often need a little more help than the average member of the public so we "They were like angels sent from heaven because I just didn't know what to do." Elisbeth Mulder, an 80-year-old widow who called the fire department for help when her basement was flooding. try to do what we can while we're there. There have been times when crews have been to calls and they've shovelled the driveway or the sidewalk while they're there, just to help out." Forbes also noted the Oakville Fire Department receives calls asking for their help on a wide range of issues. "People call us for any number of problems. If someone can't get a locksmith they call us, if there's water in their basement they call us and we come out to all those. Our first priority is to make sure everyone is going to be safe," said Forbes. "One of the reasons we'd come out for flooding in a basement is to look at where the water is because you can get into a safety issue with electricity. If we feel there is a problem with the electricity we may shut the hydro off." European Engineering Combined With Traditional Workmanship "Building on the Brightest Ideas Around Glass" 905.849.0266 Happy Holiday from Escape to a World of Comfort "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m b e r s . c a 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905-337-2066