The Garibaldi Volunteer Fire Department (GVFD) provides wildland, structural, and vehicle fire response and medical first aid services along a segment of the Sea to Sky between Squamish and Whistler.
In recent years, with the escalating risk of wildfires and the ever-growing number of visitors to the area, the department has focused on shoring up its volunteer base, augmenting skill levels and enhancing the tools in our toolkit.
In addition to the many community members who support our local fundraising efforts, the GVFD gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) and the many community partners who contribute to the success of the organization, ensuring we can deliver these vital services to the communities we serve.
We would like to recognize the following supporters for their assistance last year with capital expenses that will help us to better protect people, infrastructure, and wildlife in the Sea to Sky:
•The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and Woodfibre LNG for their contributions ($35,000 and $20,000 respectively) toward the purchase of a new rapid response wildland vehicle, which enhances our ability to respond quickly and effectively to wildfires while protecting the safety of our volunteers;
•The Whistler Health Care Foundation for their $10,000 contribution toward upgraded medical equipment, which allows us to provide better patient care;
•The Rotary Club of Squamish for their $6,000 donation for a drone system with thermal imaging cameras that allows us to quickly locate and assess wildfires (that may otherwise be inaccessible or hard to access on backcountry roads); and
•The Rotary Club of Whistler for $1,000 for a portable wildfire water tank that enables our crews to shuttle water back and forth to a wildfire where water isn’t readily available.
On behalf of the GVFD, a sincere thank you to all of our supporters, and we wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe new year.
Chief Dan Ross, GVFD, Joe McDermid, president of the GVFD Society and Rob Van Doorn, Regional Fire Chief
