The community of Skead had two reasons to celebrate when it came together on Oct. 5: To celebrate the village’s 100th anniversary and to celebrate the reopening of Fire Station No. 22, the community fire station that has been closed since 2022.
It was also an occasion to celebrate the reinvigoration of volunteer firefighting in the community on the shores of Lake Wanapitei.
Not only did the station reopen after being closed since 2022 after a vehicle damaged the structure, but Skead celebrated the fact the community now has 11 volunteer firefighters (which is still short of the 15 volunteers considered to be an ideal minimum for a community its size) and is on its way to being an effective firefighting force for the village.
The 100th anniversary celebrations began at the fire station. Skead resident Nicole Everest, who, by all accounts, led the effort save the fire station and recruit volunteers, took to the microphone to provide a rehash of the community’s efforts to improve its firefighting capabilities, to highlight where things stand today and to thank the many people who helped successfully save Fire Station No. 22.
“It takes a village and we certainly came together as a team — way to go Skead!” Everest told the crowd, eliciting cheers and applause from the dozens of people who gathered for the event.
Everest said with 11 volunteers recruited, the effort now is to get all those new recruits trained and certified. She said once the recruits are trained on driving the trucks, “then the pumper will come back to Skead,” referring to a pumper firefighting truck, a comment which again elicited cheers and applause.
“We can’t take our foot off the gas,” Everest said, referring to recruitment. “Please, take the time today to learn about the (volunteer firefighter) application process — we need you.”
While she thanked numerous people for their efforts and saying the previous Ward 7 councillor (Mike Jakubo) wasn’t in the fight for the fire station, Everest highlighted in particular the work of Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée. Skead is in Ward 7 and Everest credited the councillor for being a strong advocate for the community and the fire station.
For her part, Labbée heaped praise on the tenacity, determination, energy and organization of Everest.
“I can’t say how many hours this woman has put in on this issue,” the councillor said.
Labbée spoke about her bravery in taking on the fight for the residents of Skead and reiterated the need to recruit more volunteers.**
In particular, Labbée singled out Skead volunteer firefighter Chris Boeswald, who for five years was the community’s only firefighter. The crowd gave a rousing cheer and a round of applause for Boeswald.
Boeswald told Sudbury.com it was challenging being the only firefighter in the community and still responding to emergency calls. A volunteer with Greater Sudbury Fire Services for seven years, he said he’s happy to see new life breathed into the station.
“It feels awesome that 10 people stepped up,” Boeswald said, adding through the five years he was alone, he was “hoping this would happen.”
What kept him going when he was alone, he said, was just a desire to help his community. And for anyone on the fence about joining up, he acknowledged the training time and expense of being a volunteer firefighter but said that it’s all “worth it to help your community.”