A grassroots effort to have a fire house built on Gambier Island, got off to a good start this past weekend, by raising $42,000 and gaining six volunteers.
Rick Barnett, who is helping raise money for the fire house/shed with wife Lorrie Barnett, says there’s still a long way to go. The first fundraising event for the project took place, Saturday, July 13 with live music from three bands, firefighting games, kids’ activities, a raffle, 50/50 draw, cash bar and $5 hot dogs. FireSmart SCRD, dedicated to education, prevention and managing wildfires, was also on hand.
“All-in-all, it was a good event. I didn't expect to raise $500,000 on a Saturday afternoon, but I was able to engage about 150 participants and get a conversation started,” says Barnett.
Those conversations resulted in six community members stepping forward with an offer to help with future fundraising.
Barnett says it won’t be possible to host another fundraising event on the island this summer, but hopes the Legacy Tile Campaign will keep the momentum rolling. Through the campaign, participants can purchase a tile, which will include their name and be placed on the side of the fire house.
“Just like when you go to a hospital and a family has donated big money to build a wing of the hospital, we're raising funds from $100 up to $250,000 to name the hall and these tiles will be on the side of the building for at least the next 100 years,” says Barnett.
Gambier Island got its first-ever functioning fire truck in 2021, after resident Doug Buckle built it from scratch. Buckle was an emergency vehicle technician for the West Vancouver Fire Department for 19 years, and previously built fire trucks for Lions Bay and Pemberton. It took Buckle about 18 months to complete the truck, after he found a used cab chassis with low kilometres on it. He cleaned it and a friend painted it.
Next, Buckle found a fire engine’s compressed air foam unit that had never been used. He outfitted the truck with a siren, light bar and added room for a stretcher by taking out the rear seat.
Inside, the firefighting gear includes spill equipment, an AED, first aid equipment, a generator and spotlight for nighttime emergencies. Not only will there be water from high pressure hoses, but the compressed air foam system reduces the amount of water needed to put out fires.
But now the fire truck needs a shelter, so that’s when the Barnetts got involved. It was Lorrie Barnett who applied for charitable status for the creation of the official Gambier Island Fire Team Society. Meanwhile, Barnett has a long-term vision for the fire house, which doesn’t include the need for fundraising events.
“My goal is to implement a program that will make the shelter self sufficient and not need to rely on the donations of islanders to ensure its success,” he says.
– With files from Keili Bartlett
