by Ken Herar
Exciting, teamwork, courage and service: Those were some of my thoughts that came to mind after going on a ride-along with the Mission Fire Rescue Service last week.
It was my first time going out with the fire service and I didn’t really know what to expect, but I received an educational workshop like no other. I had the opportunity to put on all their gear – boots, gloves and hat – feeling like I was just part of the team. We went over different scenarios, just in case the unexpected occurred. I had the honour of riding with Capt. Griffith’s crew during the first half and then Capt. Taylor’s platoon for the remainder of the day. There were no calls for service, but the team kept busy around the hall with training exercises, cleaning and greeting the public with fire prevention education.
There was never a dull moment. There are three shifts of career firefighters who service our community 24 hours a day, and paid on-call supports them if needed. Last year, there were 2,200 calls for service and the trend indicates it will get busier with another hall being proposed in the Cedar Valley area in the next three to five years, due to the population growth.
The purpose of this experience was to highlight and attract more diversity to the local firefighting department.
Mission has a professional and growing department, who are passionate about their work. They encourage all applicants from all backgrounds, including more females, to apply.
Currently, they have one career female member, Capt. Griffith, and two paid on-call females. Griffith commented that she looks forward to going to work every day.
The department would also like to see more South Asians apply and currently don’t have any members that speak Punjabi. They have had Punjabi paid on-call members in the past. Getting applicants from the South Asian community can be challenging and they would like to see that change. Positions are opening up in the near future for paid on-call. Capt. Taylor encourages people who may be interested to drop by and speak with members at the hall.
Many visible minorities overlook firefighting as a career. Many gear themselves toward law enforcement careers like corrections, customs and policing before considering firefighting. A local study group in Abbotsford was formed to find out why minorities don’t pursue the fire service. The answer they found was many believe that firefighting is volunteer.
Fire Chief Dale Unrau said he “encourages people to apply from all backgrounds and the department should be a reflection of the community it serves. That’s our goal.”
n A group of local residents went on a trip to India recently for 10 days, through the Mission Chamber of Commerce. Longtime Mission resident Lloyd Rash and assistant fire chief Norm MacLeod shared some of the experiences to a place that I’ve only been once.
“I didn’t know what to expect and I found it very friendly and caring,” Rash said. “We landed in New Delhi and ventured out to outer areas where it was flat with farms. Pollution was less than other countries I have visited. I would definitely go back and see more of it.”
MacLeod said, “From Delhi, our trip was simply amazing and we visited so many diverse sites in a variety of cities and saw many amazing places. From rickshaw rides in old Delhi, to spending time in Ranthambore National Park searching for tigers, each and every turn in India held unique surprises and adventure.”