Cities are the butts of endless jokes for banning tobogganing, street hockey and even kite-flying all in the name of public safety and limiting their financial liability. However, city emergency services are still required to deal with the aftermath of those banned activities if a member of the public decides to ignore the rules and ends up injured.

For the past few years, Hamilton’s fire and ambulance crews have been inundated with calls for complicated and expensive rescues of those who visit the city’s many waterfalls and believe that their desire for the prefect photo should superseded the law of the land.

And it’s not as if they have the excuse of being blissfully unaware of their transgression. These days Hamilton’s waterfalls are so bedecked with “keep out” signs that it’s a wonder you can see the falls themselves. The city has also used snow fencing to try and close off any access to the rock face, but as anyone who was at Albion Falls last weekend will tell you, it was about as effective as collecting water in a sieve.

The city has pledged to put in permanent fencing around Albion to deter thrill seekers from putting themselves into harm’s way, but while it will stop some of the casual looky-loos, those who are determined to come face-to-face with the falls will find a way.

Fences and signs are good places to start, but they don’t go far enough. Many have suggested charging those who require rope rescues for the cost of the service, but that goes against the community ethos of offering help to all those in danger regardless of the circumstances. And while it might make some trespassers more careful, it would do little to prevent them from hopping the fence in the first place. After all, none of those who needed rescue went with the intention of having an accident.

That’s why it’s time to actually enforce the rules.

Sending the police or bylaw officers to the falls and actually ticketing those who break the law would send a much stronger and clearer message than all the signs and fences in the world. By being willing to spend its own time and treasure to protect thrill-seeking knuckleheads from their own poor judgement it would show just how seriously the city takes public safety.

Enforcement isn’t cheap, but neither are rope rescues. However, given the sheer volume of recent offenders, it seems highly doubtful that a blitz program would lose money.

Besides, if the city is willing to send enforcement staff to ticket illegally parked cars around the falls, shouldn’t it be willing to do the same when actual lives are on the line?