The Skeena
Kudos to Prince Rupert Fire Rescue members Ryan Fuzi, who received the department’s Fire Fighter of the Year, and Dylan Sidoni, Officer of the Year.
Most people run away from danger and hardship. Firefighters and other first responders run toward it–and deserve our congratulations.
When an emergency is about life or death, fire rescue is often the first department to respond. Prince Rupert’s firefighters were at Galloway Rapids bridge in April when a truck went off the road and into the ocean; the driver did not survive. The fire department knocked down the apartment building fire in April at 11th Avenue East and Immanuel Street, which sent one person to hospital.
Prince Rupert’s fire and rescue department consists of a chief, a deputy chief, four shift captains, and 20 firefighters and is on call 24/7. They respond to some 1,500 calls a year for assistance, from medical emergencies and fire, and their website says that responders typically arrive within five minutes.
Prince Rupert Fire Rescue also operates the Prince Rupert and Port Edward 911 service with four full-time and four casual employees. They answer 5,500 emergency calls annually and dispatch the Prince Rupert and Port Edward fire departments.
When they’re not responding, firefighters run preventive inspections of some 1,000 public buildings each year and fire education programs.
Fire rescue is one of the most challenging jobs in Skeena and elsewhere. So congratulations on awards well-earned, Fire Fighter Fuzi and Officer Sidoni.
