Page 95 - In The Line of Fire 2023.cdr

In The Line of Fire 2000 - 2004

In The Line of Fire Fighters

Four Generations

Dave Chapman

Those early Eric Chapman
years in Kelowna
brought major disasters
with fires that needed immediate action Ian Chapman
from the traditional bucket brigades...

The citizens of the day were the Fire Fighters...
Those volunteers struggled to obtain proper equipment to provide
the fledgling town with adequate fire protection. Even when the
Josh Chapman
Broderick Pumper was replaced by the Waterous Engine, the city
had only limited resources to fight the fires.

The dedication of those early people, the volunteers and the fire chiefs...they all
worked full time jobs, and in addition took on the responsibility of the Fire Brigade.

Dave Chapman began his volunteer career in 1917... there were no air packs,
no pumper trucks, no high tech equipment...as we have today.

“They used to pay us $20 a year to cover our expenses, the gas we used driving
to the fire and that sort of thing, and the city would pay to have your clothes
cleaned if you went out and fought a fire in your good suit.”
During Eric Chapman’s 41 year volunteer Fire Fighter role, he was on 24 hour call,
7 days a week...as are the Volunteers of today.

Ian Chapman is a Platoon Captain in The Kelowna Fire Department,
and his son Josh is a Volunteer Fire Fighter.

Four generations in this line of Fire Fighters...

It was an honour to be chosen as a Volunteer Fire Brigade Member
in those early years...and as citizens of the City of Kelowna we are
proud and grateful for the dedication of today’s Fire Fighters.

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