Alice Matthews serves Oliver firefighter Polo Veintimilla during the appreciation dinner for firefighters in Oliver Community Park on August 20. Photo by Trevor Nichols
Thick white smoke still billowed from fires smouldering in the hills as the community of Oliver came together August 20 to thank the people who likely saved their town.
The previous week had been one of the most harrowing in recent memory. Wildfires had closed in on the town from multiple directions, shutting down roads and temporarily forcing people from their homes.
On August 20 people were back in their houses, the fires were mostly under control and as Oliver residents breathed a collective sigh of relief they looked to the emergency services personnel—volunteer firefighters, search and rescue technicians, paramedics—with gratitude.
That gratitude culminated in last Thursday’s event, where volunteers and residents came together to thank those heroes by serving them a free meal, made possible by donations from across the community.
By 6:30 p.m. the Oliver Community Park was already crowded. A live band had been brought in and residents fanned out on lawn chairs and blankets in front of the Oliver Community Stage.
Then the firefighters arrived.
As the convoy of gleaming fire trucks rumbled onto the field, heads turned and clapping rang out. By the time members of the Oliver Fire Department got out they were met with thundering applause as hundreds of Oliver residents climbed to their feet and hollered, clapped and whistled in appreciation.
A few minutes later, as emergency service personnel from Oliver, Osoyoos, Okanagan Falls, Willowbrook, Penticton and beyond stretched in a line in front of the Oliver Community Stage, acting mayor Maureen Doerr addressed the crowd.
“I wrote a speech but it’s hard to say what I feel for these people in front of us,” she said. “This is an amazing group of individuals that volunteer their time for our communities to make them safe.”
She talked about the harrowing exit many made from town as the fires approached, and how lucky Oliver was that more wasn’t lost. As she spoke about how much emergency services personnel give of themselves, her voice cracked.
“I just want to say thanks to this group in front of us,” she said after a pause. The crowd clapped for more than a minute.
Several others gave similar speeches, and throughout most of them the emergency services personnel fidgeted in place or wore slightly embarrassed smiles.
Later, as he trotted to the buffet table for his meal, Oliver Fire Department Deputy Chief Bob Graham admitted that it was a little weird to be up there.
“We’re embarrassed really. It’s not why we sign up for this,” he said, the corners of his eyes creasing as his face stretched into a smile.
Graham, like most of the emergency services personnel that night, quickly and graciously downplayed the praise. His ever-so-slightly slumped shoulders and lidded eyes betrayed fatigue, but throughout the night he wore the same smile as person after person flagged him down to chat.
On his way to get his meal he told one group that he hadn’t slept through the night in weeks, and gestured emphatically as he recalled the events of the past week.
Not far off, at the buffet table, volunteer firefighter Scott Schaffrick carried a small boy on his arm as Alice Matthews loaded his plate with grub. Schaffrick had the same slightly fatigued look as Graham, but joked jovially with Matthews.
As he ate his dinner with fellow volunteer firefighter Josh Tomlin, Schaffrick repeated the same sentiment as Graham, saying that community support meant a lot to him, but that it’s not why he did it.
“It’s nice to have the support of everyone,” Tomlin admitted, almost sheepishly, “but it’s not really what we’re there for.”
Another firefighter, Grant Stevely, summed up the feelings of most of the emergency service personnel at the barbecue that night.
“We love what we do,” he said.
“A lot of these guys, we really don’t expect it [praise from the public]. It’s really appreciated, but it’s not why we do this.”
Like many in attendance that night Matthews said she knows that sentiment well, which is why she thinks it’s so important for the community to come together and thank emergency responders.
“I think they deserve to be looked after for a change. They look after everybody else and I think it’s great that they are treated royally.”
And while many of them accepted that treatment with slight embarrassment, Oliver Fire Chief Dan Skaros had his own message for the community.
“We do really appreciate all of your support. All of the food, all of the water, all of the businesses that donated something . . . everybody was fed, everybody was taken care of and we really appreciate it. We just thank you, because you guys just make Oliver and the area one of the best to serve as emergency services.”
By Trevor Nichols
