three cheers for the volunteer firefighter!

Dorion Hotel and Restaurant burned down on Friday. I couldn't find any pictures on the internet, but from the one I saw in the paper, it was a pretty big deal. Six fire departments responded. I'm sure they gave their heart and soul, but with a building that was erected before the Great Depression, I suspect the cards were stacked against them from the get-go. If you want to read a short clip about the fire click here. Sorry, no good pictures, although I'm sure there are some out there if a guy knew who to ask.

Volunteer firefighters are truly remarkable people. A small rural department has very little of the glamour and limelight associated with the Hollywood firefighter. It's mostly hard, dirty, thankless - and sometimes dangerous -work. These people drop what they are doing at a moment's notice, pull on their turnouts, and respond with whatever is available. They often know they aren't going to be able to save as much as people want them too, and there's a good chance they might not get any appreciation for being awakened at 2:00 AM, but they still stick with the jobs. Most of the volunteers in NW Ontario do it for half the pay of a gas jockey . . . if they get any pay at all. Hats off to all of you guys and gals. I have a personal peeve that volunteer firefighters don't get the support they deserve from government. If you want my full, humorous opinion (with a barb attached), click here. If you want a more educated opinion, click here.

I've heard that digital vigilantes are making it difficult to post comments on this blog, under the pretext of protecting me from spammers. I think I fixed the problem, but I'm not sure. If you want to comment and are having trouble, you can send me an email at tim.beebe@sympatico.ca.