Friday, July 24, 2009

Gorman Bros. Mill saved from flames in West Kelowna

Gorman Bros. Mill saved from flames
By Don Plant The Daily Courier
Kelowna, BC Canada

Employees, firefighters and Mother Nature have helped defend the Gorman Bros. mill from catastrophe -- so far.
The massive lumber mill, West Kelowna’s largest employer, has been at the epicentre of the Glenrosa fire since it broke out above the site Saturday afternoon. Aside from fire damage to the roof of a finger-jointer and some burned lumber piles, the mill was still intact Sunday afternoon.
"We’ve been very fortunate. A lot of people have been working very hard," said Nick Arkle, the company’s chief forester.
"The damage can be repaired. There might be an impact on production for awhile."
A crew of about 20 employees worked Saturday night and Sunday morning to douse the property and make sure spot fires didn’t break out. Despite their efforts, several piles of 1-by-10- and 1-by-12-inch lumber near the forest edge went up in flames.
Helicopters resumed bucketing water around the mill and a fresh crew of 15 to 20 employees replaced the overnight brigade after daybreak Sunday. Firefighters with the forest service and structural fire departments ensured flames nearby didn’t spread.
The wind was fairly calm in the morning. It blew from the southeast Sunday afternoon, which took the fire away from the mill but uphill toward Gates and McIver roads.
"The fire is fairly stable," Arkle said at 3:30 p.m. from the Gorman Bros. log yard. "All we need is strong winds and it will all blow up again."
The Okanagan has been hit with a fiery cocktail of low humidity, heat and strong winds.

Picture by Stew Alcock from Castanet.net.

Becky Harmata
The Fire Emporium
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

New Artist added to Firefighter Print line

New Firefighter Print Artist added to product line

As we are always searching for new and exciting products to add to our collection we are very excited to introduce an artist whose work is new to us! You can check out her work in our Firefighter Prints section at http://www.fireemporium.com/ and follow the catagory link to Firefighter Prints.

Jodi Monroe has been drawing portraits for over 20 years, but over the past 6 years she has truly found a passion for rendering works celebrating the profession of firefighting. Her goal and passion for each work of art is to make it so incredibly life-like that you can feel the energy of the subject.

She is married to a career firefighter, Jeremiah, and together they have a son and a daughter. Because of her husband, her mother, who repairs turn-out gear for fireman all across the country(www.fixturnout.com) and her Uncle, who was fire chief for many years in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, she has been associated with the profession of firefighting most of her life.

She also makes a donation of 20% from each print that she sells to the Hoosier Burn Camp to help children in Indiana who have been affected by fire.


Becky Harmata
The Fire Emporium
Toll Free: 866-832-1468
Fax: 250-769-3588
Email: info@fireemporium.com
Web: http://www.fireemporium.com/

Friday, July 17, 2009

'Line of Duty Death' - Firefighters give cancer victim grand sendoff.

Alberta firefighters buried one of their own yesterday while urging the province to add to the list of "presumptive" job-related cancers it recognizes for compensation. That includes esophageal cancer, the disease that killed Capt. Alexander Fred Harris a week ago.

The union has declared Harris's death "a line of duty death" and gave him a grand send off yesterday afternoon as hundreds of firefighters marched through downtown to the First Presbyterian Church to bid farewell to the 53-year-old who died June 20.

A fleet of fire trucks lined 100 Avenue and 105 Street and a large Canadian flag fluttered in the air, hoisted by two fire truck ladders, while a bagpiper played a solemn tune.

Mourners hugged, held hands and looked on with tears in their eyes as a group of eight pallbearers unloaded Harris's casket from a fire truck adorned with a funerary wreath and black drapes.

After the service, a flag-folding ceremony was held. The Maple Leaf and Harris's cap were presented to his wife, Sharon Harris, followed by a Last Bell Ceremony. His body was later interred at Glory Hill Cemetery.

"Capt. Harris was the type of man where within 10 mins of meeting him, you felt like he had been your best friend your whole life," said Greg Holubowich, president of Edmonton Firefighters' Union. "He was a firefighter's firefighter who was always concerned about the people he helped. You always trusted he had your back in a fire."

Holubowich said Harris, a married father of two grown children and a 30-year fire veteran had been preparing for retirement and had even planned to open a business restoring antique cars before he was struck by the illness.
Article from the Edmonton Sun

Becky Harmata
The Fire Emporium
Toll Free: 866-832-1468
Fax: 250-769-3588
Email: info@fireemporium.com
Web: http://www.fireemporium.com/

Should You Marry a Firefighter?


In my research I came across this great blog article. I don't think it could be said any better. Whether you are not married yet or have been for a long time, you will find yourself smiling and nodding saying, been there, done that!

Becky

Someone found our blog by Googling, “Should I marry a firefighter?” It’s an interesting question, really.
When FireDad and I said our vows, we had already been through the long and involved process of testing and interviewing to be hired by the fire department. We were actually enduring the middle of a hiring freeze as I walked down the aisle toward him on that cold, December day. Prior to all of this, during our dating days (and, really, prior to me), he was a volunteer firefighter (and paid the bills as a Paramedic). I had an inkling of what fire life would be like but… I also had no clue. He was hired by the fire department shortly after our wedding. And during our honeymooning year, I got the baptismal by fire, literally, into the depths of fire life.
And so, I have some advice, of course, having lived this life for five years now.
Don’t marry a firefighter if you are relying on their presence or the stability of their schedule. The pager will go off on Christmas Eve as you are trying to build a bike together. There will be a fully involved structure fire on the morning of your big interview, leaving you scrambling to find child care. They will work on your birthday, their birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and every other holiday imaginable. Not all in the same year (though that list in the previous sentence is true for us this year, sigh) but eventually, all of them. More in some years than in others. On days you have plans to work on the house or get things done, they will be needed at the fire house. On a day that you planned on doing nothing more than relaxing, the sound of fire sirens leaving the station will bring a halt to your attempt at relaxation, nerves ....Read more

Becky Harmata
The Fire Emporium
Toll Free: 866-832-1468
Fax: 250-769-3588
Email: info@fireemporium.com
Web: http://www.fireemporium.com/

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