Port Hardy Fire Rescue (PHFR) is gearing up for a big anniversary bash this year.
The fire department will be celebrating its 50th birthday with a traditional Firefighters Ball at the Don Cruickshank Arena on Saturday, June 30.
“There will be about 300 people coming to the event,” said PHFR Lieutenant Adam Harding, who added a Firefighters Ball “is a tradition in the fire service — we’re going to be serving a very good dinner, plated appetizers and desserts, and there will be speeches and some awards.”
Harding noted they will be inviting local dignitaries and first responders to the event, will have a DJ for later in the night when it turns into “a big dance and social event”, and they are looking to bring in some comedians from Yuk Yuk’s in Vancouver for live entertainment.
Tickets are currently only on sale for firefighters right now, but the department is aiming to open up ticket sales to the public in May.
“We’ve had 275 members over the 50 years and we are extending invites to them first, most likely they will be bringing family or a guest,” said Harding, who added the biggest thing they are focusing on right now is sponsorship. “We set a fundraising goal of about $30,000 and we’ve more or less covered our costs so far, but we are absolutely still looking for more sponsorships.”
He pointed out there are three sponsorship packages local businesses can purchase to help support the Firefighters Ball, and each tier earns special gifts, advertising, and prizes once a donation has been made. Please contact Fire Chief Brent Borg (250-230-0341) for more information on sponsorship opportunities, or if you were ever a member of PHFR and want to attend the Firefighters Ball.
Harding noted a few business have already agreed to be the title sponsors for the event, namely, the Hospital Auxiliary Society, Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw First Nations, and Prosperity Fuels/Parkland, while Western Forest Products has agreed to be an industry sponsor for the event.
He explained the idea behind the Firefighters Ball is to recognize 50 years of service to the community and to commemorate the effort and sacrifice firefighters have made to the town and to the department. “This is intended to recognize our volunteers — the fire department is a huge commitment, anyone who has been involved in the fire service understands that the training and calls are endless, we see a lot of unfortunate stuff, and we sacrifice our time on a personal level in order to serve the community.”
Harding added “50 years is a big deal — The fire service is steeped in tradition and we want to showcase a lot of that tradition on the evening.”
