THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
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6:30-8:00 • Pioneer Park
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FIRE UPDATE
Wood Lake re 80 per cent contained.
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The gym was filled with happy, sweaty firefighters dancing together when the crew from South Africa got everyone up and moving. Below: The South African wildfire crew treated the guests at the Sts’ailes appreciation dinner to an energetic song and dance from their homeland.
Firefighters earn Sts'ailes appreciation
Lorene Keitch THE OBSERVER
AWARENESS
Fibromyalgia walk to raise awareness.
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INSIDE
Campaign start . . . . . . 2 Swimmer search . . . . . 5 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Mail Bag . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Cold car show . . . . . . . 9 Classieds . . . . . . . . . 13
It was authentic, anticipated and appreciated. The Sts'ailes people and provincial wildfire crews gathered together last week to meet, to share a meal and, by the end, to share a bond. The school gym was filled with about 150 firefighters from across the province as well as a 24-person crew from South Africa. They were invited by Sts'ailes band as a thank you for their hard work to protect the traditional lands of the Sts'ailes people in the Wood Lake wildfire. "We really, really appreciate the work you have been doing," Chief Harvey Paul said to the firefighters. "We thank the firefighters for coming out and protecting our land and our homes." Mitch Pence, incident commander for the Wood Lake wildfire, said he was proud of all the firefighters who all put in 110 per cent. He thanked the Sts'ailes band for the opportunity to gather together and share a meal. Before the speeches, while digging into his salmon dinner, Pence said
for a community to host a dinner for fire crews is not something he has encountered very often. "This is pretty special," he commented. Other firefighters certainly agreed. Pierce Fifieild is a wildfire fighter out of Terrace. He's been on a provincial crew for the past five years. He says every summer gets so busy, these kinds of things don't happen.
"It really boosts morale, and shows how much they really care," Fifield says. For the Sts'ailes people, gathering to share a meal in celebration is common. What is uncommon this year is the lack of salmon. Band councillor and cultural manager Kelsey Charlie (Tixweltel) says usually right now, they would be in the middle of salmon catching season. But the same day as the
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dinner, the whole Fraser River was shut down for sockeye salmon fishing. "We'd normally be fishing almost three to four days a week, but they closed it right down because of conservation," says Charlie. "We're OK with that, being that we're stewards of the land. We want to make sure it's there for generations to come." But it means the salmon they shared wasn't just any meal. It was the best, and the most precious, they could offer. "That salmon is like gold," says Charlie. "That's our soul food." After dinner, each crew was presented with certificates of thanks and a small gift on behalf of the Sts'ailes people. Pence was presented with a drum to bring back to the provincial fire headquarters as thanks for their work and he presented Chief Charlie with a gift on behalf of the provincial fire servce. Julia English, Apex crew boss out of Nelson, told the crowd when they Continued on 3
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