President’s Introduction and Report – Annual General Meeting 2014
(Feb. 22, 2015)
My introduction will be very short this year, Chief Andy will bring us up-to-date on a couple of department issues and on the equipment status. There are a series of slides that accompany this introduction. These were prepared for the presentation we did for the CRD Directors meeting last week in which we were attempting to present our case for having the annual fire dues collected in conjunction with the property taxes. Our request was presented as follows:
The Watch Lake – North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department is requesting that the Cariboo Regional District enter into a contract in which the Regional District will collect the Department’s annual fire dues assessed to property owners in the Watch Lake – North Green Lake fire protection area.
These dues, the amount set annually by the membership of the Watch Lake – North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department Society (property owners) at their Annual General Meetings, will be collected in conjunction with the annual property taxes, for an administrative collection fee paid to the CRD by the Society.
The history of the development of our department is a credit to everyone in the community. Over the past 40+ years many people in our community have worked hard and volunteered many hours of their time to create a fire department that meets the needs of an area of this type. As early as 1970 a small group of local residents realized that with the growth of the community there was an accompanying need for a fire department. With the acquisition of a 1946 International Pumper from Squamish, the Watch Lake – North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department was formed in the summer of 1971. In October of that year, with the very kind donation of one acre of land by Shorty Horn, work began on the meeting area / locker room of Hall #1 (Shorty Horn Memorial). A two-bay garage was completed in 1980.
With the population growth and to cover the total fire service area more efficiently, in 1991 work began on Hall #2. (Sunny Johnson Memorial Hall). With the acquisition of the first of the Mack pumpers the need for larger areas for garage and indoor training became apparent. With the aid of a Capital Improvement Grant, 25 property owners paying their dues for 5 years in advance, the kind donations of material and the hard work of many volunteers from the community, both Halls were expanded.
What was originally the main hall and locker room in Hall #1 has been remodeled to provide a year-round training and meeting room. It is now called the George Wilson Memorial Training Room in memory of a very dedicated fire fighter and first responder.
From the beginning The WL – N.GL VFD did not come under the jurisdiction of the Cariboo Regional District Emergency Services. The funding for the operation of the department has always come entirely from annual dues paid by property owners. All other expenses (training and safety – acquisition of new equipment) are covered by CRD* and Lottery Grants, donations and fund raising.
* Two CRD grants over the past 4 years have been designated for special purchases
There are currently twenty-six trained fire fighters on the roster. There are twelve members of the community who serve on the Board of Directors. There are also twenty+ members on the Ladies Auxiliary. Of the 500 properties in the service area there is a year-round population of only about 200 people, and 25% of these residents are directly involved with the fire department.
The common spirit that laid the foundation in 1970 has continued through the building of this fire department and remains today as a unifying force in the community.
This cannot be given away.
In an introduction to an AGM in 2007 I related a Haida parable that I felt could be an inspiration in overcoming the hurdles we faced in the necessary rebuilding of our fire department. I liked it for its zen-like simplicity and in the way it left the conclusion up to the listener. The simplicity of its message has, over the intervening years, proven to be exceptionally appropriate.
Many years before man entered the great forest there was a terrible fire caused by a lightning storm. In terror, all of the animals gathered on the shore of the ocean to plan their escape. While they were all frantically talking at once about what to do a little hummingbird swooped down over the surface of the ocean and scooped up a drop of water. She then flew out over the fire and dropped that single drop of water on the flames. The animals watched in amazement and one of them called out, “what are you doing?” To which the hummingbird replied, “what I can.”
It has been everyone in our community doing “what I can” that has helped us to create the exceptional emergency service we have today.
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