How far will the Town of Westlock Volunteer Fire Department go to collect supplies for the Westlock and District Food Bank and Family and Community Support Services?
The sky’s the limit.
Sitting atop the ladder of a fire truck 18 metres above the Independent Grocery Store parking lot Dec. 17 for the second annual Firefighter in the Sky campaign, Lt. Brian Hegedus said he could see all the way to Highway 44 and then some in the chilly winds that reached up to 40 km/h.
“It wasn’t too bad. I had all my gear, so as long as I kept my back to the wind it was alright,” he said. “
The -35C-plus wind chill last year was way worse, though I suppose this year I didn’t quite get that desperate look I had last year.”
Hegedus climbed the ladder at 11 a.m. and stayed until 4:30 p.m.
During that time, he watched dozens of people donate nearly 1,240 pounds of food, four bags of clothing and $1,060.
He said he wanted to make sure that everyone in Westlock could have a happy holiday season.
“I grew up one of three kids with a single mother,” he said.
“So I know how every little bit helps. I can’t give money but I can give my time to help the community out and to raise awareness about families who are struggling.
“Especially around this time of year. At Christmas time people are struggling to cover costs, so if I can help bring a little bit of relief to the holiday stress, I’m doing it.”
The view must be good as Hegedus said he’s eager to climb the ladder again in 2019.
“This is our second year doing this and I’m looking forward to next year already,” he said. “If it doesn’t get any worse than -35C, I ‘m pretty sure I can handle it.”
This is the third-straight year the fire department has made the push to help bring in donations for the two organizations.
Every Wednesday and Sunday until Christmas fire trucks are on-hand at both grocery stores in Westlock to help encourage donations. The campaign wraps up Dec. 24.
Last year, the department raised $4,340, collected 21 bags of winter clothing and over 2,650 pounds of food.
Since they began the campaign Dec. 3 they have collected $2,623, 3,083 pounds of food and 10 bags of winter clothing.
Deputy fire chief Dan Lucyk said that the department was still eager to blow past its totals last year.
“We’ve had a successful year and we set our sights really high,” he said. “We provided a lot of value to the community.”
