Firefighters taken for granted

Personally, I feel that there are individuals in our community who take our first responders and volunteer firefighters for granted. At times, I’ve heard complaints that the fire departments do not respond as quickly as people would like, or that their services are not living up to expectations.

As a daughter of a volunteer firefighter, I would simply like the public to know: When these brave men and women are saving the lives of your families, they are missing their families; they are leaving work to respond to a call that a life needs saving, missing meals and waking up at 2 a.m. to rush to potentially save a life.

The majority of the fire departments on Prince Edward Island are comprised of volunteers, all who will devote any time of day or night when they may be needed to respond to a call. What many people don’t realize is that while fire departments respond to calls for fires, they are also present at other emergencies such as scenes of motor-vehicle accidents or distress calls. The face you may see pulling you from a car wreck may very well be the face of a volunteer firefighter.

These volunteers are devoting their time to training and preparing for the worst, as well as fundraising for charities and causes throughout the community. They’re putting their lives on the line simply for the sake of giving back to their community and helping those in need. They deserve our gratitude.

Jessie MacNevin,

UPEI Student,

Cornwall