Haliburton County celebrated First Responders’ Day on May 1 by having a number of events throughout the area commemorating the skills, hard work and sacrifice of first responders. In Wilberforce, this day was celebrated at the Highlands East Fire Department, Station 4 at 2259 Loop Road by their EMS and Fire Department from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., with ample information and a variety of activities for all those who came by.
The province of Ontario proclaimed May 1 First Responders’ Day back in 2013. On April 24, Warden Liz Danielsen (who is also the mayor of Algonquin Highlands) proclaimed May 1 First Responders’ Day in Haliburton County. In a press release on the Haliburton County website, Warden Danielson had the following remarks: “On behalf of the County and our four member municipalities, I’d like to offer my sincere congratulations to all first responders who go above and beyond every day to keep us safe. The Haliburton Highlands are in excellent hands thanks to your dedication,” she says.
First responders include volunteers and professionals who work as police officers, firefighters, military personnel, paramedics, medical evacuation pilots, dispatchers, nurses, doctors, emergency medical technicians and emergency managers.
On May 1, community members were able to visit open houses at bases, halls and stations to learn more about the critical role both professional and volunteer emergency responders have in keeping us safe. They were able to meet local and visiting emergency personnel, learn about programs and services, volunteer and career opportunities, understand how to prepare for emergencies, and get up close to emergency equipment and vehicles. Sue Tiffin, Haliburton County’s community safety and well-being plan coordinator, says that while she helped to coordinate the event, “it is very much a tremendously collaborative effort of our local first responders.” As for why May 1 was important from a community safety and well-being perspective, Tiffin said it’s important for community to get together when they can. “As a community, it’s important for us to celebrate each other and recognize the work we do. This is a great opportunity for all of us to meet first responders when we’re not in crisis and to learn about what we can do to be proactive and take preventative measures to avoid an emergency response whenever possible,” she says. Highlands East Fire Chief Chris Baughman told The Bancroft Times on April 30 that this was the second year they’d done this to celebrate first responders. “We do have a group that’s showing up that’ll set up coffee and snacks [the Wilberforce FUNraising Group] for anyone who decides to show up. We did every fire station last year, that’s five halls and it kind of spread everyone out to thin and didn’t make for a busy event. So, we just brought it down to the one central location this year and we’re hoping to get more people out. It’ll be just like an open house, with all the equipment outside that people can look at and get into. They can speak to the firefighters and ask whatever questions they may have. Hopefully we get a few people out,” he says.
At Highlands East Fire Department, Station 4 in Wilberforce, they had their fire trucks outside but unfortunately no ambulance or EMS as they were otherwise occupied. They had a full spread of refreshments put on by the Wilberforce FUNraising Group, including cupcakes, crudité, coffee, and cold drinks. They also had games, activities, giveaways for all attendees, and fire hats for the kids.
Highlands East Mayor Dave Burton was there, as was Councillor Ruth Strong. Burton said that the day had been wonderful and he couldn’t thank the first responders enough for what they do. “My wife was 17, 18 years on the [Haliburton County] fire department and it’s nice to know hands on what they do. It’s difficult for a lot because they’re volunteers and they may have to go to a call in the middle of the night and then have to go to work in the morning. It’s always grueling but they’re committed and they constantly do it. As mayor, I’m forever indebted to their commitment and what they do,” he says.
Burton’s daughter Leah, who is with the OPP, was there with her children River, Dawson and Wilder. She said that River had been talking about wanting to come by that day. “They were talking about it at school across the county and stuff. River had asked and I told her that I knew I was going to take her anyway,” she says. Krista, Shane and their son Lochlan were there and thought the event was fantastic. Krista said that any sort of community event, they wanted to get Lochlan, who was wearing a kids’ firefighter’s helmet, out to take part. “He’s an honourary firefighter for the day!” she says with a laugh.
Tiffin told The Bancroft Times on May 2 that overall, each location at the community wide event saw significantly more participation than last year, with kids and adults showing up throughout the scheduled time. She says that in at least one location, people were lined up to enter right at 3 p.m. when it started and the weather was better than last year. “First responder teams are reporting that it was a great team building opportunity for themselves and they were able to meet with community members and answer questions and requests for information. There was also much laughter, with plenty of fun and educational activities for the kids [and their parents/grandparents/caregivers, who were having fun too], and so much community pride with unique celebrations at each location,” she says. “The event really highlights the incredible collaboration and work of our first responders’ teams and gives community members the chance to familiarize themselves with local services, but also come out and show their support for the first responders in our community whose courage and dedication help to keep us safe.”