Volunteers from across Shelburne County spent all of Saturday in Barrington, N.S., putting finishing touches on the Shelburne County Strong Relief Benefit — a night of appreciation to honour and thank the firefighters who stepped up during the Barrington Lake wildfire.
Area residents spent more than 3,000 hours over the past year putting together the day’s event.
“It was unbelievable the fight that they fought and it’s something that no one has ever seen in this area,” said one of the organizers, Paula Sutherland.
As many as 650 firefighters are set to attend the private banquet Saturday night, where firefighters will be presented with medals from the community that were designed locally and feature Barrington’s tartan.
“What they did for community was huge, I mean, so many houses were spared,” said volunteer Shelley Deon.
Every firefighter, DNRR, volunteer organization, RCMP, Ground Search & Rescue and arena crew member will receive a medal for their incredible efforts last year.
“These men and women, they really gave up their lives during that wildfire,” Deon said. “And because of them, I mean, a lot of families did not have to go through despair. They did not have to go through restoration, they didn’t have to rebuild and reform their lives again.
“These men and women put their lives on the line for this community.”
The Nova Scotia government has allocated $32,000 to funding the benefit, and local community members have made donations to assist in providing a fun night for the first responders as a show of gratitude.
“Really, thank you is not enough,” said Sutherland. “I mean, 28,000 hectares burnt, not one loss of life. Most important thing of it all. Yes, homes were lost, peoples’ lives have changed forever, but we have to remember that nobody lost their life in all of this.”
Sixty-nine fire departments were involved in fighting the fires last May and June, which included help from DNRR, New Brunswick and Montana.
“Half did not know us and they still continued to come and be there for us,” said Deon. “To me, it is a must to show our gratitude to them. Because we are beyond thankful.”
At the same time, over in Shelburne, N.S., shows of thanks continued with the unveiling of a tribute made by students at the local high school.
Sixty-four hearts were crafted by students to recognize the Nova Scotia fire departments who responded, as well as one big heart to thank all other volunteers.
“They all had a part in helping us, so we had to represent all of them,” said Grade 11 Shelburne Regional High School student Jeremy Quinlan. “Can’t leave one out.”
Les Goulden, the teacher in charge of the school project, wanted first responders to know how much the community appreciates what they did.
“Without these people…we don’t know where things would have ended up. So, they certainly came to our aid when we needed it.”
For firefighters like Waterville Fire Department Capt. Jeff Greer, the gesture is appreciated.
“It’s a very heartfelt thing that they’ve done,” Greer said. “Quite amazed to look at all this and see what they put into it. So, yeah, we feel really good about it.”
Shelburne County community members tell Global News that they do see the beginning of rebuilding and healing in the community, but there’s still a ways to go.