Editor:
Re: Frustrations over new fire hall transition, Feb. 2; Timing of hall transition under fire, Feb. 9 letters.
I have read with interest the ongoing controversy surrounding the opening of Firehall 14.
Since 1957, until recently, my husband’s family and I have lived in the area served by this hall. We have had the honour to have known many neighbours who were volunteers.
With the population growing so rapidly it is difficult to argue that the time had come for the old hall to be rebuilt and the volunteers replaced with paid firefighters.
The new hall is a work of art.
From Peace Arch News letters and articles, one can only gather that the men and women who selflessly volunteered at Hall 14 have not received the respect and appreciation deserved for the thousands of man-hours given to residents of this community. Interrupting family dinners, jumping from bed in the middle of the night, leaving guests sitting in living rooms, attending life-altering accidents and fires, arriving at serious scenes and finding friends involved, I’m sure, have taken their toll on the private lives of the volunteers and their families.
In the article in the PAN Feb. 9, Fire hall will be city icon: chief, project co-ordinator Bud Livesey states “the new hall is something to be proud of.”
While this is a beautiful building, I don’t think Livesey understands that at the corner of Pacific Highway and 20 Avenue, the area residents already had something to be proud of – Hall 14 volunteers.
Wendy Mumford, White Rock