10:30 Muster @ Black Ball Ferry Terminal for Uniformed Personnel
11:25 Parade begins from Black Ball Ferry Terminal, east on Belleville St, south on Government Street, ending at Superior Street (Click Here for Parade Route)
Ceremony 12:00
10:30 - MUSTER at Black Ball Ferry Terminal
11:25 - Parade Commences at Black Ball Ferry Terminal heading east on Belleville St, South on Government St, ending at Superior St.
Arrival of Parade of Colour Party, Pipes & Drums and Fire Fighters
Chaplain Welcome
Singing of “O Canada”
Chaplain Comments
The Honourable Linda Reid, Speaker of BC Legislative Assembly
Memorial Service Commences
The Honourable Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills and Minister Responsible for Labour
BCPFFA President Gord Ditchburn
The Leader of the Opposition, John Horgan
Fire Fighter’s Prayer
Bell Ceremony & Flag Presentations to Families
Last Post / Reveille / Lament
Ceremonial Laying of the Wreath
Amazing Grace
Closing Remarks
God Save The Queen
Parade of Fire Fighters' Dismissal
Larry Page, Richmond Local 1286, Fire Fighter, June 1, 1973
Howard Breden, Richmond Local 1286, Captain, November 20, 1979
Harry Beestra, Richmond Local 1286, District Chief, July 25, 1991
Ken Cook, Trail Local 941, Fire Fighter, March 28 1998
Merrill Gosling, Richmond Local 1286, Captain, February 21, 2015
Kevin Hegarty, Surrey Local 1271, Fire Fighter, March 1, 2015
Ernie Dombrowski, Surrey Local 1271, Fire Fighter, April 20, 2015
Wayne C. Douglas, Fort St. John Local 2413, Captain, May 21, 2015
Brian Taillefer, Kamloops Local 913, Captain, August 1, 2015
William Hunter, Vancouver Local 18, Captain, September 19, 2015
Randy Piticco, Surrey Local 1271, Captain, December 22, 2015
Don Baxter, Nanaimo Local 905, Assistant Chief, August 16, 2016
Dennis TeBoekhorst, Maple Ridge Local 4449, Lieutenant, October 21, 2016
Harjinder S. Ghuman, Vancouver Local 18, Lieutenant, December 1, 2016
On behalf of the BC Professional Fire Fighters Association (BCPFFA) it is with a heavy heart that I welcome all fire fighters, dignitaries and most importantly the families of the fallen – their loved ones.
This is our 4th Biennial BC Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial (BC FFFM) where we will pay tribute to fourteen of our fallen heroes who courageously gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Without question, they served their respective communities in protecting complete strangers when duty called and we will pay tribute to them with the highest honour.
Unveiled in the spring of 2011, our beautiful memorial site was granted by the British Columbia Provincial Government where it stands tall on the lawns of the British Columbia Legislature and proudly serves as a reminder to everyone the value of fire fighters. The dangers of our profession can be lifelong and at times invisible yet they are the result of risking one’s life for the benefit of others.
We have made tremendous progress in attaining presumptive coverage's and improving on our occupational health and safety practices in recent years yet we have more to do. We are grateful to the provincial government for their recognition of the dangerous work that we do as fire fighters, honouring our fallen, and that more must be done. Without question it is the right thing to do.
No matter the strides we take forward, we will never forget our fallen as we honour our past. Please join our sisters and brothers from across the province as we pay tribute to fourteen of our bravest.
Fraternally,
Gord Ditchburn, BCPFFA President
Mike Rispin - Chair & BCPFFA Executive Vice President
Jef Young - Chaplain, Surrey L1271
Rob Deans - Honour Guard Parade Commander, Vancouver L18
Jeff Sim - Pipe Major, BCPFFA Massed Pipes & Drums, L1271
Dan McClelland - Vancouver Fire Fighters' Band Leader L18
If you have any questions, contact the BCPFFA office @ (604) 436-2053 or info@bcpffa.org
BC Burn Centre Office, 3891 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V5V 3P1
