Summer is over, and the return to fall activities has begun. While we reflect on the summer that was and start up our busy run of activities again, we think it might be prudent to take a moment to recognize the amazing service that our volunteers provide. And we're not talking about the hundreds of volunteers who help co-ordinate the many festivals and events that we enjoyed during the summer. No, we're talking about the men and women on the water with our search and rescue teams, the men and women with our volunteer fire departments.
Since it wasn't a busy summer rescue-wise, you might not have noticed the Gibsons, Halfmoon Bay and Pender Harbour Coast Guard units on the water, but they were there, willing to accept a page from the rescue co-ordination centre in Victoria at any hour of the day, leaving their dinners to get cold on the table, leaving their families behind, to go out onto the water and assist with a boater in distress.
Our Coast Guard units play an invaluable role in our community and many times do not get the accolades they so richly deserve. They train several times a week. They fundraise to pay for new equipment and for their rescue vessels and, as is always the case, they are willing to drop everything at a moment's notice to lend a hand and possibly save a life.
This, too, can be said about our volunteer firefighters.
The residents of Gibsons know all too well this summer the value of their firefighters after a major waterfront blaze gutted Coles Marine Diesel and the Wynken Blynken and Nod Backpackers B&B on Marine Drive.
Smoke and flames were seen for miles, and had it not been for the quick action of the Gibsons fire department, who knows how many homes could have been lost? Who knows how many lives could have been lost?
And the Gibsons crew is no different from the firefighters at Howe Sound Pulp and Paper, Roberts Creek, Sechelt, Halfmoon Bay, Madeira Park/Garden Bay and Egmont - they volunteer because they love their communities. They volunteer and put their lives on the line, be it fighting structure fires or attending serious motor vehicle accidents along our highway. They are, in a lot of ways, the glue that helps hold our Coast together.
So the next time you come across a firefighter, Coast Guard or search and rescue member, be sure to pay them some praise. Offer them thanks and a pat on the back. They are all true heroes in our eyes.
