DESIRÉE DECOSTE

STAFF WRITER

Being the unsung heroes in our community, for the past 68 years the Picton Firefighters Association (PFA) have built a proud tradition of serving and giving back to the community they work and live in.

During the PFA meeting Tuesday evening, the association presented the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) with a $3,000 gift to Back the Build.

The Foundation continues to fundraise for the community’s component of the estimated costs of a redeveloped Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital.

“We’re proud and honoured to help our community by raising money and then by donating it to help Back the Build,” said Steve Everall, president of the Picton Firefighters Association. “Firefighters are known traditionally for giving back to their communities so we’re keeping that tradition alive.”

The funds were raised through various activities undertaken by the PFA such as hosting barbecues at community events including as the antique show and the Arm Drop drag races at Loch Sloy as well as the Christmas tree sales held each year at the fire department.

“While volunteer firefighters see what they do as simply answering a call, many of us describe them as heroes. They’re the ones who run into a burning building to help, or extract someone out of a vehicle after a collision,” said Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation. “Today, they are proving themselves to be heroes to our hospital by helping us get closer to our goal of a new hospital in Prince Edward County. We extend special thanks to all of the volunteers with the Picton Firefighters Association for going above and beyond to raise money to support the building of Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital’s future home.”

With state-of-the-art design and infrastructure, the new hospital will offer the same services as today in a better space.

The emergency department will be equipped with the latest technology and staffed with skilled and dedicated health care professionals. Inside its walls will be a suite of clinics to provide, among other medical services, endoscopy and dialysis treatment. The new facility will have 18 inpatient rooms which will be larger, each equipped with its own private washroom.

Based on current projected timelines, the new hospital construction will be completed in early 2025. The PECMH Foundation is commissioned with raising the local share portion of the build, which works out to be $16.5M.

“We’re grateful to our County residents for supporting our events year after year. We’re stronger together, and together we can make a difference for the future of health care in our community,” said Everall. “We work hard to support our community as best we can on shift and off shift. Being a firefighter is more than a job; people say it’s a calling. We’re all part of it because we want to be able to give back however we can. We wouldn’t be able to give back so much if it weren’t for the love and support of our family members and spouses. They’re the ones who stand with us when our pagers go off and we leave during the middle of dinner and they’re the ones who wake up with us in the middle of the night when we leave for a call. We’re grateful for their support and understanding, too”

Established in 1952, the Picton Firefighters Association is a team of 33 volunteer members who donated roughly $6,000 in 2019 to the community.

“We’re in this to help the community,” Everall said. “We have a lot of fun while we’re doing it.”

Their fundraising efforts benefitted sports teams, children’s camps, Reaching for Rainbows and kid friendly activities such as the Picton Easter Egg Hunt and the Swim to Survive Water Safety Program. The Association decides as a group where their donations will go.

The Association would like to extend thanks to Picton Home Hardware for their continuous support through donating prizes to their events.

“Gifts from local groups, like the Picton Firefighters Association, speak to the importance of community involvement and the impact it has on the quality of care for those residing and visiting our County and who use our hospital,” added Nancy Parks, campaign co-chair of the Back the Build campaign. “We’re so thankful for the Picton Firefighters’ support and interest in the future of our hospital.”

For more information on the PFA please visit www.thecounty.ca/county-government/emergency-services/fire–rescue

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