Brandon MacLeod

Local firefighters, along with Ray Prevost (middle), volunteer their time Saturday morning (Jan. 28) to help with renovations of the Bonnyville legion.

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Local firefighters lend legion helping hands

For the most part, our local firefighters spend their time keeping buildings intact, but early Saturday morning, about 15 members of the Bonnyville fire department volunteered their time to help tear down portions of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 183 in Bonnyville, kicking off renovations of the aging building.

Barb Ryan, firefighter and organizer of the event, said this was just another way for the fire department and its members to give back to the community.

“The veterans and seniors here have done so much for this community,” she said. “This is just a small way for us to pay it forward.”

Ryan noted the legion provided the Bonnyville fire department with its first rescue tools over 50 years ago.

Firefighters pulled off drywall and old wood panelling from the legion’s walls. They deconstructed the dividing wall that separated the building on the inside, and they got rid of all the old materials in the process, thanks to a disposal bin provided by SS Holdings.

Not only did the firefighters volunteer their time for the first step of renovations, the department also donated a total of $4,400 to the legion to go towards materials and upcoming construction costs.

“This is just great!” said legion president Margaret Chapman. “The firefighters are just doing a wonderful job.”

Chapman said the legion had been planning renovations for a while, which include stripping the interior walls to allow for insulation to be installed, as well as some other modernizations to the building.

“They said they would lend a helping hand, and here they are,” said Chapman. “And they look like they are having fun doing it.

“We’re always appreciative of the firedepartment,” she added.