A Barlow Creek man is crediting his community's volunteer fire department's fire education program for saving his granddaughter's life.
A couple of weeks ago, the man came to the Cariboo Regional District’s (CRD) Barlow Creek Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) regular practice night and told volunteers his story.
He thanked the department for the training provided to his granddaughter at Barlow Creek Elementary School, and said it had saved her life.
His granddaughter was at home, when she noticed black smoke above her head.
She crawled to where her dad was, told him, and then got out of the house while her father was able to extinguish the fire.
The child told her family she knew how to react because the fire department had come to her school and taught her what to do in the event of a fire.
“I am very proud of the dedication and knowledge the Barlow Creek VFD has demonstrated through this fire safety education program at the elementary school,” CRD Electoral Area C Director John Massier said. “Fire Chief Tom Maxwell, and the entire department should be very proud of their accomplishments, knowing their efforts have truly made a difference in our community and in particular, to this family.”
Maxwell's department teaches the kindergarten class Stop, Drop and Roll and the grade three class the Fire Safety House Program each year.
“We are also involved with a fire drill program at the school; this is time well spent from our perspective," he said.
Community volunteer fire departments do far more than just put out fires and are always looking for new recruits, the CRD stated in a press release. Anyone interested in joining, and wanting to make life-changing differences in the community, is encouraged to contact their local fire department to find out how.
"Congratulations to the entire Barlow Creek department on a job well done, and to all fire departments in the Cariboo Chilcotin, for the support you provide in protecting your communities," the press release stated.