Those refusing to heed a final evacuation call when an emergency such as flooding or a hazardous spill occurs are not only putting themselves in danger, but others as well.

There were certainly people who refused to evacuate their homes when the Big East River waters were rising. And while you can’t really blame them for instinctively wanting to protect their property and save their homes, their actions increased the risk to rescuers.

Emergency personnel had to return for them under far more dangerous conditions than those found during the initial evacuation. Certainly there is an element of shock that people go through under emergency circumstances, but a final and forceful call to evacuate by emergency personnel needs to be listened to.

The question is how do you enforce it?

Mayor Claude Doughty’s suggestion at the District of Musokoka mayors’ committee to fine those who refuse to leave may work, but calling it a fine is like kicking someone in the teeth when they’re already down.

It makes far greater sense to implement a system similar to that of the fire department where the cost of having to put out a fire caused by negligence is charged back to the party who started the fire in the first place.

Therefore, those refusing an order for final evacuation could face a hefty bill related to having to use greater resources such as boats and special equipment to carry out a far more detailed rescue plan in order to get them out.

Emergency personnel would also be able to use their discretion when it came to implementing such a strategy, as do the fire departments when it comes to determining how much negligence was involved in a fire.

At the end of the day, people have to take some responsibility for the decisions they make.

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