June 5, 2009
Dear Fire Association Members,
Spring is here and it's time to think of Fire Association business. The 70 Mile fire served as a first reminder to us all to be vigilant about fire hazards and to be common sense careful with fire. Last weekend our firefighters attended the Buffalo Creek fire along with other volunteer firefighters and the Forest Service crews. Our 4x4 pickup was very useful to our firefighters helping ranchers and homeowners
there protect their properties from flare-ups. The fuel accumulation presented by beetle killed trees there and in our area presents a very real continuing threat. We need to remove dead trees from our properties and watch beetle killed forest areas for signs of wildfire. Those areas are harder to see now that the red needles have mostly fallen.
This letter will be posted on our website at http://www.hawkinslakefire.com/. Thanks to Lloyd McTaggart for organizing that. During the past year several of you have contacted us through the web page; proof it is being read! Thank you. Lloyd would welcome any comments and suggestions for improvement to our site.
With this wildfire season starting to ominously resemble that of 2003 and we remain concerned that address confusion could create some dispatch problems. When you send in your renewal fee this year please tell us again your Cariboo Regional District property address; the one we fervently hope you have posted at your driveway.
Our active firefighter list still includes eight names and several auxiliary or part time volunteers. We thank them! Others volunteer their help in many other ways. The directors meet regularly to guide the organization while the Hurrells continue an effective bottle and can re-cycling program. Again, Ted and Suzanne North returned to the community to help with another fine fundraising chicken barbeque held last July at the McWilliams home. Bob Campbell, our chief, continues his seemingly tireless efforts with the able assistance of Assistant Chief Dale McWilliams. We welcome new Directors Arlene Dutton (Charley) and Terry Sobo to the board. Charley is our recording secretary and Terry is our membership officer.
The 911 procedure is in place for our area. To report a fire you can call 911 and the dispatcher will contact the fire department, or you may contact the fire department directly by using the call-out list attached. It is still advisable to post the call-out list in your home.
It is membership renewal time again. The August 2007 AGM established the membership year we now follow. Our annual family membership fee is still forty dollars and our membership year extends from August 1st to July 31st of the following year. Could you please help us all out by sending your annual household renewal of $40 soon using the enclosed self-addressed envelope.
You may also give your cheque in person to Bob Campbell, Catherine Ridley (our Treasurer), Terry Sobo or Peter Thomson. Please make cheques payable to Hawkins Lake Volunteer Firefighters' Association. As mentioned earlier, please include your C.R.D address on the cheque. This will speed up our dispatch in case of fire because we are developing a residence map of our area and want to put your place on it! Please also tell us your e-mail address if you have one so that we may improve our communication with you.
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of our Hawkins Lake Volunteer Firefighters' Association. We are planning to hold a family oriented hamburger and hotdog cook-out on Sunday, August 2nd from about 12 noon on. Admission is by donation and we hope everyone in our community will attend. See the enclosed pink notice. We are fund- raising this year with what we hope will be a large and lucrative raffle and we are looking for donations of quality prizes. If you know a merchant who might donate merchandise or a service or if are personally able to donate something please contact me quickly at thomsandson@shaw.ca . Tickets will be sold during July and the draw will be at our 20th Anniversary party. Please plan to attend!
We'd also like to announce that this year's AGM will be held on Monday, August 3rd at the fire hall at 11:00 AM.
We hope to see you all again soon.
Peter Thomson,
Fire Association President
