About 100 people gathered at the Drayton Christian Reformed Church on March 3 to salute volunteer firefighters from Drayton and Moorefield.
The event was organized by a Bible study group that considered the topic 40 Days of Community.
One of the organizers, John Zwart, said in an interview prior to the banquet that the challenge to the group was “to do something that was loving in the community. We thought of this.”
Among the 100 people Zwart estimated would attend were not only firefighters, but also their spouses and family members as well.
Fire Chief Rick Richardson estimated there were 14 volunteers coming from Drayton, and another 13 from Moorefield, in addition to family members accompanying them.
The committee organizing the event even had fire truck decorations as a place setting for each table.
The event appears to be unique.
“This is the first time I know of for something like this,” Richardson said of the community salute to his volunteers.
He said there were a number of church groups involved and the firefighters “were honoured” when they heard of it. He noted “way over half” from each station were attending.
But, as it is with firefighters, Richardson also noted he could only hope there were no problems during the event.
“We’ll have to leave if the pagers go off,” he said.
