Scugog fire officials are crunching the numbers as they tally up a bill for an Oshawa man they rescued from Lake Scugog on Sunday evening.
The man was ice fishing on Lake Scugog just before 8 p.m. on Jan. 13 and became disoriented and lost when he attempted to walk ashore after fog rolled into the area, say fire officials.
He was fishing just off of Crozier Lane, near the northern end of Scugog Island.
After he was located and brought to shore by firefighters, the uninjured man provided his name and address to fire officials -- a requirement for the Scugog Fire Department to send a bill for the service.
On Tuesday, Richard Miller, Scugog's fire chief, said he had spoken with the Oshawa man and made him aware that a bill would be on its way.
The final cost has yet to be calculated, but "it will be substantial," said the fire chief.
"We'll send him an invoice and he'll have to plead his case to council" if he doesn't want to pay the bill, added Chief Miller.
For years Scugog councillors have grumbled about the costs and dangers associated with rescuing boaters, anglers and snowmobile enthusiasts from the local lake.
The Township, however, has been handcuffed by provincial privacy laws which prohibit the municipality from using personal information -- such as names and addresses -- garnered from a police report for billing purposes.
Last fall, Chief Miller told councillors he would ask his firefighters to try to collect personal information from anyone rescued specifically so that Scugog could try to recoup some of its costs.
But, "they're under no obligation to do that," said Chief Miller in October. "We want the information for billing purposes and if they offer that information and sign off on it, then we'll send them a bill.
"But if they don't want to give us that information, there's nothing we can do."
On average, a rescue operation involves two fire trucks and several firefighters. That cost ranges from $1,500 to $3,000, said Chief Miller.
On Sunday, Scugog sent three fire trucks to the rescue, had a fourth truck on standby, and about 15 firefighters responded to the call, said the fire chief.
http://www.durhamregion.com/news/article/1...m-oshawa-angler 
Lake Scugog ice rescue, Angler Fined
