A small but enthusiastic crowd turned up at Royal LePage Place Wednesday to say thank you to fire fighters and first responders following the wildfires of 2009.Dubbed 'Facing The Fires - A Night To Remember,' the evening gave residents of the community a chance to say thank you after the near devastating Glenrosa, Rose Valley and Terrace Mountain fires.
The kudos went both way.
"As a community, you really pulled together. I'm proud to be your mayor," stated West Kelowna Mayor, Doug Findlater.
"We're a new community," added Findlater, "but we're going places."
Those sentiments were echoed by EOC Deputy Director Jason Johnson, West Kelowna Fire Chief Wayne Schnitzler and others who spoke to the crowd.
"This is a time to reflect, a time to celebrate and a time to thank people who did such a good job this summer," says Findlater.
The mayor, who himself was one of the first to be evacuated when the Glenrosa fire broke out on July 18, says the community was fortunate to have professionals looking after every detail up and down the ranks.
After going through emergency preparedness training in the spring, he says it would have been easy as mayor to get involved in operational issues.
"The mayor, the council and the elected officials have to stay back at the policy level and let the professionals do their job. All of the firefighting was done with such excellence, such professionalism."
Findlater says the one memory he'll take away is the work of those in the air, especially during the early hours of the fire.
"I watched those with my mouth wide open as I looked at those aircraft. The water bomber wobbling as it went over Gorman's mill in 70km winds trying to save that mill. Really gutsy stuff."
Fire Chief Wayne Schnitzler says a celebration such as Wednesday's helps to put closure on a very challenging summer.
"It really challenged us as people, it challenged us a a fire department and at the end of the day, the outcome could have been so much worse," says Schnitzler.
During the entire ordeal, Schnitzler says he really never thought about things emotionally.
"I think it's over the years of experience you get. You go into work mode and you don't have time for emotions. You do your job and make decisions that affect peoples lives and properties."
In all, 11,000 West Kelowna residents were forced out of their homes as a result of both the Glenrosa and Rose Valley fires.
Story by Wayne Moore, Castanet.net.
Becky Harmata
The Fire Emporium
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