Okanagan firefighters responded to an emergency call for one of their own yesterday.
Thursday morning, the Oliver Fire Department was called to assist B.C. ambulance services at a residence.
“When crews arrived on the scene, they found out who it actually was,” Oliver fire chief Bob Graham told the Western News.
Dwayne Emery, who had been a member of the department for 20 years, passed away at the residence.
Graham said the cause of death is not yet known, but he doesn’t believe it was related to their line of work. He believes Emery was in his 50s.
The department announced Emery’s passing today on their Facebook page.
“It is with heavy hearts the Oliver Fire Department announces the sudden passing of one of our members, Dwayne Emery,” the post reads. “Dwayne was active with the department for 20 Years. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
More than 220 people have reacted to the post, with commenters remembering Emery as a loving father and an involved community member.
“Dwayne was active with the fire department,” said Graham. “Whatever fire ground operations that he could participate in as well as a lot of work with different fire functions that we may have put on, like our annual spring training seminar, he was very active with that.”
The Anarchist Mountain Fire Department has commented on the Facebook post announcing Emery’s passing with their condolences, and Peachland Fire and Rescue Services has voiced their support for the department in a post on their own official Facebook page.
“Everybody seems to be doing alright,” Graham said. “But it’s still pretty fresh.”
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