The Port Hardy Hospital Auxiliary Society presented Port Hardy Fire Rescue’s Fire Chief Brent Borg with a gigantic cheque at the Port Hardy Fire Hall.
The cheque was large in both size and value.
Members of the Hospital Auxiliary Society and their President Sylvia Frankfort gave the $34,406.72 cheque to Borg on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
The donated money was raised through the Hospital Auxilary’s Thrift Shop on Main Street.
“Really, I can thank the community for all of their donations, because without them we wouldn’t have what we have in the Thrift Shop,” said Frankforth.
The Thrift Shop is exclusively volunteer run by members of the society. “I say all of my workers are angels on the Earth because they are so dedicated,” added Frankforth.
The funds earned through the Thrift Shop allow the society not only to donate to Port Hardy Fire Rescue, but also to ambulance service, multi-level care, scholarships, and of course the hospital.
“They are a special bunch of ladies,” said Borg, continuing “they’ve helped us with many things around this department. They’ve given us about $150,000 worth of equipment over the last half a dozen years.”
The more than $34,000 cheque has already been spent on outfitting Port Hardy Fire Rescue’s new ladder truck with brand new equipment.
The new equipment includes items like saws, flashlights, radios, ladders, tarps, and cones.
They have even purchased a new thermal imaging camera which allows firefighters to see through smoke by detecting heat.
The donated funds also allow Port Hardy Fire Rescue to keep both the new Ladder 17 and the older Engine 10 in service.
“It’s a huge help to get that extra money, or else it would have been pretty bare bones and we would have had to take stuff from the other truck,” said Borg, adding “It’s helped us and helped the town by giving us the tools we need to do our job effectively.”