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| photo via Rocky View Weekly |
Imagine my surprise when I found out the cheque was for $25,000! Each year, CHS Inc. - of which DynAgra is a part - provides funds to communities for worthy projects. The Beiseker Fire Department applied for funds to continue their upgrading of equipment and vehicles.
CHS Canadian Region Director, Mark Biedenfeld, was part of the presentation of the cheque to Chief Bob and myself. He was most pleased to be in Beiseker and to help our volunteer firefighters. This donation will provide a tremendous boost for the Beiseker Fire Department and their efforts to upgrade their firefighting and rescue equipment along with their vehicles.
Thank you CHS, good on ya!
It was a pleasure to be able to support this worthy and important cause. Thank you for the opportunity to meet and visit this morning.
ReplyDelete- Mark
Mark - I have been with the Beisker Fire Dept for over 5 years now. We have moved to places we never thought we would be with every element of firefighting and volunteering except for two things, funding and community support. This donation that you and CHS have made takes a huge weight off the firefighters shoulders and gives us a chance to upgrade some equipment that we never thought we see upgraded to make our jobs as safe as possible. Station 130 will never be able to have all the nice new fancy trucks and gear, but i think thats what makes this station stick out from all the others around us. Thank you for your and CHS's support! It means more then you think.
ReplyDeleteHi Anon; Glad you're back. Haven't heard from you in weeks. Your comment about our volunteer fire department lacking funding and community support is only half right.
DeleteThe Beiseker Fire Department is one of the very few remaining stand-alone village fire departments in the province. It became such after a disagreement caused it to remove itself from the North East Rocky View Fire Association many, many years ago. Beiseker has been supporting its own fire department ever since. As you no doubt know, fire fighting equipment and vehicles are not cheap. With a total population of well under 800 people, we had no choice but to provide our volunteers with old and tired equipment because the Village couldn't afford anything better! But you know Anon, those volunteers worked like crazy and did remarkable things with that old equipment! Now we are better able to provide more up-to-date equipment for them to work with they have responded to that with dedication and professionalism! And they do have community support!
Community support meant tens of thousands of dollars were raised by this community to buy our new fire truck! Community support meant new volunteers are signing up to be a part of the department. Community support meant that nobody complains to me about the size of our fire department budget. Community support meant that there are a huge number of folks in the village who like me, are very, very proud of our fire department volunteers.
I don't what else we can do to convince you that Beiseker supports its volunteer fire department. I know you'll be at the upcoming Fire Prevention Week Breakfast. Ask those folks who come for breakfast if they support our Fire Department. You might be pleasantly surprised at the answers you get. .
Hey Ray,
DeleteMy appologies, in every way you stated you are correct. In those ways the village (majority) does support what we are doing and where we have come from. Me stating "we lack village support" was probably the wrong terms to use. There are still a large number of people in this town that see the FD as what it used to be 15 years ago. Back when it was a old boys club. That is the persuna that we are moving away from and why we are rasing the level of professionalism to the highest point we have ever seen, with some of the most dedicated members, that is what i meant by lack of support. This Fire Dept wouldnt be anywhere near where it is today with out this great town and its people behind us, as well as a fantastic coucil. I want to thank you Mayor for the work and effort you have put towards the station.
With the momentem we have gained, we are going to keep working like crazy to keep the level as high as possible so we do not slip back to where we were 15 years ago, and to make residents of Beiseker and Rockyview county happy to have us help and to make the council proud of where all their money is going.
Again thank you Mark, and Thank you Mayor! We will see you in October!