Local EMS to participate in inaugural golf tourney

Scott Schmidt
Southern Alberta Newspapers

They’ve shared the battlefield in life-saving situations, but now the fight heads to the links, where the only rescues will be search parties hunting down Titleists.
The Bow Island and Burdett fire departments work from towns 15 kilometres apart, and know each other well. But when you’re in the industry of fire and rescue services, you don’t get a lot of time to mingle with other departments.
That will change Aug. 25 with the inaugural Battle of the Badges Charity Golf Tournament.
“We heard about these battle of the badges, and that there’s been hockey tournaments, baseball tournaments and things like that out there,” says Bow Island fire chief Kelly Byam. “We just figured it would be kind of a nice thing to do, in the name of whatever charity the winning team decides to go for.
“So we put a committee together and they started organizing it.”
What they’ve organized is a scramble-style tourney at the Bow Island Jubilee Golf Club, where current and former members of fire, EMS and police from each town will form teams and compete for the charity of their choice.
Teams have not yet been finalized, thus the charities they will be playing for haven’t been either. But while good causes will no doubt be chosen, the day is also a chance to build camaraderie between the two departments.
“Battle of the badges, being fire, EMS and police, we all do work together,” Byam says. “And this a fun way to get together and meet each other in a social atmosphere.”
Byam says the community has been generous in the lead-up, as several businesses stepped up with donations for prizes and such. He’s also excited to show off one of the Island’s better-kept secrets.
“We’ve got a beautiful golf course here, and actually, a lot of people don’t know about it. That will make for a nice fine day, and everyone is going to enjoy it.
“Plus, at the end of the day, a worthwhile charity benefits from people just having some fun and being generous. It was almost a no-brainer that, yeah, we should definitely do this.”
The scramble format helps make anyone look a little better on the golf course, but aside from deciding the charity recipient, how participants play won’t be the focus at this event. Byam says the day is simply a way to enjoy getting to know each other better, while supporting a good cause along the way.
“It’s just going to be a fun tournament, no one has to worry about bringing their ‘A’ game,” Myer said. “Just swing the club and have some fun.”