BI Fire Department recognized by Saamis Rotary Club

Saamis Rotary of Medicine Hat president Brian Robinson hands a $5,000 cheque to Bow Island fire chief Kelly Byam on Feb.5 at the town's fire hall.

By Justin Seward

Commentator/ Courier

The Saamis Rotary Club of Medicine Hat donated $ 5,000 to the Bow Island Fire Department for their greater needs on Feb. 5 at the town’s fire hall.
The funds came from the Saamis Rotary’s Harley Davidson Motor Bike Raffle, with proceeds going back into the community.
Town of Bow Island Fire Chief Kelly Byam said the funds will go to good use for the fire equipment and other needs will be taken care of that are faced on a daily basis.
Bunker gear and self-containing breathing apparatuses are high on the list of needs for the fire department.
“It goes an incredibly long way,” said Byam.
“We do have different committees and when we look into purchases, we just don’t look in the book and go from there. We’ll actually scour around pretty hard to actually find the absolute best price when we’re making purchases.”
It helps that all the members attend different fire-related trade shows to see what’s new on the market that’s not just necessarily equipment but different techniques that have improved and when they return, their knowledge is passed on to other members. The department then will take that and put it into getting the necessary equipment, said Byam.
Saamis Rotary of Medicine Hat president Brian Robinson said that local members Henk Stutt and David Patrick sold a great number tickets in the Bow Island area and they felt that the fire department were the appropriate recipient of the allocated funds.
“Our local members canvassed the town and figured this is the best place to put it. Just from the tour we took tonight, I think the $5,000 goes quite a long ways. I think it’s an integral part of what they need to survive,” said Robinson.
The Saamis Harley Raffle gave the same amount to the Bow Island Hospital in 2017.