When Ron Therrien hops on a snowmobile it's all business. There's no hitting jumps, riding at high speeds or skimming across open water because Mr. Therrien is a cop, and his job is to be on the lookout for dangerous riders.
Constable Therrien, a member of the City of Kawatha Lakes OPP, spent the winter patrolling almost every trail throughout the region along with other officers and civilian volunteers with Snowmobile Trail Officers Patrol (STOP).
He said in total more than 3,600 kilometres were put on the OPP's two sleds which means a lot of riding.
"The program ran for 12 to 13 weeks which included active snowmobile patrols which encompassed snow (machine) checks, cottage checks, following up on any snow-related complaints and trying to alleviate any problems (on the trails)," said Const. Therrien, the OPP's STOP coordinator.
In total Const. Therrien, numerous STOP volunteers and six officers devoted to the program checked 3,500 snowmobiles and issued 40 violations and gave close to 200 verbal warnings.
"The violations were spread out," said Const. Therrien. "It was very successful because there was only one fatal (accident which didn't occur on a trail but a road) and there was a low number of violations."
He added there were only two impaired riding charges laid which stemmed from RIDE checks set up on the trails.
"We stopped a lot of sleds and it's nice to see the number of impaired and liquor licence violations way down," said Const. Therrien.
"And it's also pleasing to hear from riders that they are not seeing impaired riders or liquor."
Patrolling one of the busiest trail systems in the province is a difficult job. That's why the local residents who volunteer their time and sleds are extremely valuable.
During the winter Constable Therrien spent a lot of time with Fenelon Falls resident Rick DeCarle who is STOP's deputy-area coordinator.
Even though Mr. DeCarle is not a police officer he has the same authority under the Ontario Motorized Snowmobile Act.
He added STOP was granted a status as a provincial program in February 1995 and he said he's been working with the local OPP since 1997.
"I’ve been doing it for five years and I got involved because of the problems on the trails. There was too much reckless sledding and alcohol," said Mr. DeCarle.
"We are out there to educate the public and every year it seems to be better. And the message about drinking and riding is getting out there."
Mr. DeCarle added he never noticed any beer bottles or cans on riders or discarded along the trails during his travels this year.
"I'd like to thank riders for being responsible out there and deciding not to bring alcohol with them," he said.
Now that most of the snow in the City of Kawartha Lakes has melted, STOP has ended until next winter.
But Const. Therrien said there will be some changes to the program. Along with their regular visits to various events in the city to promote snowmobile safety, he said more officers will be trained which means more people keeping the trail system safe.
"We are looking forward to next year. We will have more officers trained and the sleds will be out everyday all the time," added Const. Therrien.
"We are also trying to obtain a couple more machines and develop new programs with STOP to further enhance the snowmobile programs."