Mill Bay firefighters deserve recognition
As a taxpayer in the Mill Bay Fire Protection District, I would like to call attention to some of the real heroes in our midst.
This merry band of 36 men, women and junior fire department members from Mill Bay and Cobble Hill spent much of 2019 working diligently with little thanks or recognition of their extraordinary efforts on behalf of our community.
They are all expected to attend a practice every Wednesday evening and to serve on a duty crew every third week which includes being available for calls and attending duty crew maintenance and training on Sunday. The training requirements are equivalent to those of fully career departments such as Victoria and demand hundreds of hours of learning and practice every year.
On top of all this in 2019 they responded to 325 emergency calls, raised $1,800 for Muscular Dystrophy, $2,600 plus a truck load of food for the food bank and attended 64 fire prevention events with schools, community groups, seniors, First Nations and businesses in the district; promoting fire safety, planning and training for citizens.
As the bush fires in Australia should remind us, climate change may soon be pounding our doors with accompanying increased risk of wildfires in our rural residential areas. To help address this increasing risk the Mill Bay Department was able to use funds donated by the Peninsula Co-op and Parkland Fuel Corporation to reduce the purchase price on more than 100 WASP home wildfire protection kits (some still available) and give 11 presentations specifically aimed at Fire Smart measures to make your homes and communities more resistant to the danger of wildfires.
The Mill Bay Department has recently transitioned from a “Paid on Call” model, where members receive a small compensation for their hours of service, to a composite department which now employs three full time day time firefighters who staff the hall Monday to Friday, while responding with the volunteers after hours and on weekends.
The fact that we have a high calibre fire department means that we pay less for insurance on our homes and properties, as well as providing the comfort of knowing that as we go to bed at night, or run from dangerous situations, these local, “capeless” heroes are ready to leap out of their beds and run towards them.
So, a huge thank you to our fire department members and the families that support their efforts. And if you want the opportunity to meet some great people, learn amazing skills, save lives, walk with heroes and wear really cool hats, please consider joining Mill Bay or any of the many other outstanding fire departments in the Cowichan Valley.
David Slade
Tax payer and Trustee
Mill Bay Fire Protection District