Hey Ridge Meadows Hospital! We love ya! You got this !!! #FrontLineForTheFrontline #washyourhands #stayhome pic.twitter.com/Zb8zRXp5gK
— Ridge Meadows RCMP (@RidgeRCMP) March 27, 2020
Police had their sirens blaring and lights flashing across Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows this week.
Not for any major disaster, but to show their support for local health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis at Ridge Meadows Hospital.
Ridge Meadows RCMP started their campaign on Monday called Frontline For The Frontline.
“We just wanted to do something at the local level to support our community frontline,” said Cst. Julie Klaussner with the Ridge Meadows RCMP.
“All frontline staff across the country are being impacted by the COVID19 Crisis. In particular, our health care workers are being inundated,” read a message on the Ridge Meadows RCMP Facebook page, asking for residents to show their support as well by cheering, clapping and making noise from their front doors and balconies.
Police were not going into any single community, noted Klaussner. Police officers were participating, if they could, from the community they happened to be in at the 7 p.m. start time.
“We had police vehicles throughout town including at the detachment and by the firehall,” said Cst. Klaussner about Monday evening’s campaign, adding that for security reasons and safety of the officers she couldn’t share the number of police vehicles or staff that participated.
“It is hard to measure the scope of this, however the support online was overwhelmingly positive,” she added.
Klaussner added that officers could see people out cheering them on.
Comments online included those that went out to support the campaign and those that were disappointed they didn’t hear anything.
“Heard all the applause and air horns in Hammond was nice to see the support for the healthcare workers,” wrote Mike Montague.
“This literally put a lump in my throat. Thank you to everyone who has been working so tirelessly throughout this,” wrote Elizabeth Hand.
Joanne Strom thought that support should also extend to grocery store clerks and the pharmacies who go to work, “so we can get what we need.”
The trend started in West Vancouver where residents have been taking to their balconies at 7 p.m. every night, the time of shift change for health care workers, to cheer and make noise in support of their efforts.
Klaussner said the campaign will continue at 7 p.m. every night until the end of the week, then they will be taking it day by day.
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