Mesachie Lake Voluntary Fire Department Association has finished its sixth annual fundraising raffle.
When the 54 kilometre logging road from Mesachie Lake to Port Renfrew was purchased by the province in 2004 to become part of the Pacific Marine Circle Route, there was no plan to provide emergency rescue services in response to the huge increase in vehicle traffic on what was, and still is, essentially just a narrow, winding logging road, albeit paved in 2007.
As a fire department, we felt this was unacceptable and lobbied for support to remedy this situation, motivated by the knowledge that, given our department’s close proximity to the route, we would be asked to respond to any emergencies arising. However, our concern was that the cost of providing service on the PMCR should not be a burden on the Mesachie Lake taxpayers.
Support was not forth coming, so in 2005 we took it upon ourselves to form the non-profit Mesachie Lake Voluntary Fire Department Association to provide the necessary services. We raised funds, with assistance from BC Gaming and then-MLA Graham Bruce, to purchase and equip a rescue truck.
Our rescue truck is a 1999 Ford F-450 crew cab with a custom rescue body designed to hold vehicle extrication and rope rescue equipment, medical gear, traffic control equipment, portable lighting, wildfire equipment; air packs, a 160 gallon water tank and a compressed air foam pump for vehicle and wildfires.
That was 12 years ago. Each year since inception, MLVFDA has successfully raised all funds necessary to provide rescue services on the PMCR, covering operation and maintenance costs, such as insurance, fuel, new or upgraded equipment, and additional training for our members.
In response to the nature of incidents to which we have responded, our rescue capabilities have evolved from that which was originally envisioned. As such, to ensure we continue providing a reliable and capable rescue service, in 2015 the association began saving funds for its future rescue vehicle which will be in service about 2021.
While about 60 per cent of our annual funding is from a community gaming grant, one of the requirements to qualify for the grant is that the grant shall not be the sole source of funding — an organization must independently raise a significant portion of the annual budget.
Thus in addition to our annual raffle, MLVFDA operates wilderness roadside fundraising barbecues on the PMCR each long weekend from May to September and offers branded hats, hoodies, and t-shirts for sale.
Since 2012 we have operated annual raffles, each time offering a main prize of a new quad and two secondary prizes. The most recent raffle drawing was held on May 6, and the winners are as follows:
First Prize: 2017 CanAm Outlander
Winner: Laura Kavanaugh (Cobble Hill) Ticket #819
Second Prize: Lady’s Gift Basket containing prizes and gift certificates donated by local businesses (approximate value $250)
Winner: Orest Smycniuk (Youbou) Ticket #088
Third Prize: Men’s Gift Basket containing prizes and gift certificates donated by local businesses (approximate value $200)
Winner: Nicole Poulsen (Nanaimo) Ticket #428
We thank all who have supported us and look forward to offering another raffle in 2018.
Gary Eve is the fire chief at Mesachie Lake.