The Psalm 23 Transition Society has been given an extraordinary gift – a fire engine truck in great condition.
Watch Lake-North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department (WL-NGLVFD) president Roy Allen says the department is “very happy” to make this donation.
The members were inspired by their own receipt of a fire truck gifted by the City of Coquitlam a decade ago, he explains.
“We started our rebuilding process with that fire truck and went from there, and with the support of the community, we have been able to create a fire department suitable for the size of our community.”
To keep up with the insurance underwriter requirements, they must have a newer fire truck than the one they donated – requiring replacement every 25 years or so.
“This [mid-1980s] truck is too old for us, so we were going to try to sell it. Then, the Psalm 23 people came along [through Steve Condon at 1st Touch Auto Centre] – they were hoping to buy it – and we thought ‘hey, we had the good fortune to receive one 10 years ago, why not donate it’.”
Condon says he was trying to help sell the fire engine for the WL-NGLVFD, and came up with the idea of Psalm 23’s 59 Mile Transition Centre.
“I showed them the fire truck and asked them if it’s something they could use.”
While he got a very positive response, they asked him how they might raise the cash to buy it and Condon says they were even more thrilled when he offered to organize a fundraiser for them.
Condon and his partner, Joanne McNabb, then donated their company’s time to do a vehicle inspection, detailing (including polishing a lot of stainless steel) with support and materials pledged from other businesses in the community.
“It’s in excellent shape, it’s got new tires, and it is a nice donation. I am very impressed that [the volunteer fire department members] did this.”
He had also “put the deal together” and begun fundraising until he heard the fire department would donate the truck, Condon explains.
Psalm 23 executive director Marvin Declare says Condon not only arranged this, from the start he has kept him “out of the loop” as to the cost and donation value, to this day.
“It’s a blessing ... to understand the purpose behind creating safety for the students, creating safety for lives.”
Everyone from the Psalm 23 board of directors and staff gives “huge appreciation” for this gift to the WL-NGLVFD, Condon and everyone else involved, he adds.
“This is one of the first times people in the community have done something without us knowing [in advance], and that’s quite exciting.”
To have this fire truck, Declare says it “places a new safety” onto the Psalm 23 facility at 59 Mile, and they have men on site who will be trained to use it.
“We are just getting renovation dollars in there to bring up the sprinkler system, so this all ties into it.”
Not being in a fire department zone contributed to the loss of a large shop and a lot of training tools and equipment to a serious – and dangerous – overnight fire in 2010.
Declare says his other hope is by using the new truck for training his students, who are rehabilitating from drug and/or alcohol abuse, it could lead to potential careers (or volunteer firefighters) in the future.
“They may even want to join a detachment around here. [Some have] never thought about a career because they’ve been stuck in their addictions, or other issues.”
Declare say the donation shows him the hearts of folks in the community are with them in the work they are doing at 59 Mile.
“I’m going to work with Steve to [plan] some kind of appreciation dinner.
“Even with our donate-a-vehicle program that we have, we’ve never had something like this donated. It’s a miracle in our eyes.”