Big donation gives big boost to Happy Valley-Goose Bay fire department

With a spate of commercial fires in the town in recent years, the Happy Valley-Goose Bay fire department is now more equipped than ever to fight the blazes, and help out in other emergencies.

A new mobile command centre was donated to the department by Peter Woodward, CEO of the Woodward Group of Companies, on behalf of the trust of his late father, Mel Woodward.

Woodward is the owner of C-Store, the newly-built gas station and convenience store that were saved by a raging fire in early March that destroyed some businesses, including chain clothing stores Reitmans and Eclipse, in a strip mall owned by the Woodward Group of Companies.

"This is a big thank you to the volunteer fire department," Woodward said. "The efforts that they put in to save the new building that we have here when we had the fire in the old building on site were extraordinary."

Fire chief Brad Butler said it's a boost for the volunteer-only department that has been busy of the last few years.

"They're pumped," Butler said about the volunteer members' reaction to the new unit.

"This is something that just makes it all the better for them and our department."

Truck to ambulance to fire department resource

The large Ford F-450 went largely unused as an ambulance by Serco, the service provider on the base for 5 Wing Goose Bay.

Woodward said the vehicle cost about $40, 000 and they did refurbish it and re-certify it before handing over the keys to the fire department.

Another bonus? There are only about 1,900 kilometres on the vehicle.

"We had planned on using it as part of our operations, but after the fire, there had been some issues around command posts and resources for the volunteer fire department," said Woodward, explaining why it was donated.

Butler said the new resource will change the way the department operates in emergency situations. Before, emergency crews - such as police, ambulance or fire personnel - were limited to portable radios in the outdoors.

"With this unit, we're planning on putting multiple radios in the back to put on multiple frequencies for different agencies," Butler said.

"If there's a fire involving, say a wild land fire, command units for forestry as well as us could be in this utilizing both resources."

The unit could also be used to keep firefighters warm as they fight blazes in some of the colder months of the year.

"We're very grateful for the donation," chief Butler said.

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