Union Bay / Fanny Bay Fire Rescue Annual Awards Banquet 2024

On Nov 29, 2024 we hosted the Union Bay / Fanny Bay Fire Rescue Annual Awards Banquet at the Fanny Bay Inn, an evening dedicated to celebrating outstanding achievements and recognizing the hard work and dedication of our members and our community.

The event brought together attendees, honourary members, their families and other distinguished guests. The night was filled with stories, heartfelt gratitude, and well deserved recognition.

Highlights of the evening included:

Awards Presentations:

• Firefighter of the year– Capt Steve Strachan
• Rookie of the year—FF Mike Payne
• Chief’s Award—Capt Al Roberts
• First Responder Award—FF Jim Hargreaves
• 5 Years Service—FF Jim Hargreaves
• 10 Years Service—Capt Jon Zand
• 15 Years Service— Lt Rikk Buijs
• 20 Years Service—AC Darcy Rainey
• 25 Years Service—FF Bob Jeffery, and FF Peter Wharram

Community Recognition:

• Anna Hay—Union Bay Market
• Brenda Bitten—UBCC, Down by the Bay
• Kathy Warner / Shannon Lowe—First Credit Union (Union Bay)
• Janice Swanson—Department Bookkeeper
• Diana and Eric—Fanny Bay Inn

Special Guests in attendance:

• Doug DeMarzo— Manager of Community Services CVRD
• Bruce Green—Rural Regional Fire Chief CVRD

In Recognition:

• Of Capt Martin McRae for his service to the Department and the Communities. He has moved on to new adventures and has stepped away. He provided added professionalism to the training program, along with creativity, realism, and entertainment. He will be greatly missed.

A special thanks to our supporters, and volunteers who made this event possible. Your support ensures events like this can continue to inspire and unite us.

Big Thank You to the FBI    for supporting and hosting our event.

Help us help you by marking your property with a reflective address sign

Union Bay / Fanny Bay Fire Rescue is asking residents to help make their homes easy to find.

To aid with address identification, the department is excited to announce the launch of a new Reflective Address Sign program.

In an emergency, every second counts. A few minutes may be too late in a medical emergency or fire. The quicker the Department can reach your home in a crisis, the faster they can help. After nightfall or in adverse weather conditions, it can be challenging to identify a house or locate a particular driveway, especially in rural areas.

To make your home easier to find, Union Bay / Fanny Bay Fire Rescue is asking that you participate in the Reflective Address Sign program. The Program provides a prominent way of displaying your home address and helps our emergency personnel deliver the assistance needed quickly during an emergency. Used in many municipalities, these blue and white reflective markers are all the same colour and shape and are easier to see by approaching emergency responders during night hours or bad weather conditions.

Union Bay / Fanny Bay Fire Rescue will be contributing to the cost of the signs to support community participation. Residents can order a sign for $20. Signs can be paid for in advance at Union Bay Fire Hall, located at 5471 Island Hwy S Monday to Thursday, or upon delivery if ordered via email or phone. When you order a sign, a firefighter could come to your home to determine the marker’s best location if needed.

To order,

• drop into the Union Bay Fire Hall (call-in advance to ensure the office is open)
• email 250Sign@gmail.com
• call 250 444-SIGN (7446)
• signup at Union Bay Firehall during the pancake breakfast Oct 6, 9am – 12pm.

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