Big Day For Little

Written by Peter McIntyre  107.5 KISSFM Tuesday, 28 August 2012 06:08 
A veteran Vernon firefighter took his last ride this morning.Captain Wayne Little, who has been with the department for 36 years, is retiring, and, as is the tradition, he was driven home (last ride) by his shift colleagues at 8 am today. Little began as a volunteer for 3.5 years, and then became a career firefighter January 8, 1980 for 32.6 years. His retirement marks the end of an era for his family as Little's father, Ken, and uncle, Fred, were both former chiefs with the department, Fred from 1939 to 1970, and Ken from 1970 to 1980. Current chief Keith Green says,"We thank Captain Little for all his dedication and hard work during his career, and wish him the very best in his retirement." Little has seen a lot of changes over the years. He says, "The vehicles are bigger and more intricate...automatic instead of manual shift. And the training is far superior now. They (the fire fighters) are so well trained that I don't have to tell them what to do. They are very professional. Dispatch was part of my job back then. Dispatch has gone to a CAD system now. I stay out of that room now." Little has some great, and not so great, memories from over the years. "The most difficult part was running into people I knew while on a call. In the 1980's, one of my babysitters was killed at a motor vehicle accident I was called to. We see stuff most people don't get to see. There is lots of death to deal with too. It's hard when children are involved," he said. "I'll miss the smell of the old damp hoses and coffee, the laughing, joking, humour and young guys. It's a fun place to work." The veteran smoke-eater has had some close calls. He recalled one fire where he was on top of a roof and remarked to another fire fighter, "Hey, the tar on that shingle is bubbling." Then, the alarm on his air tank went off indicating he needed to get more air. He told the other fire fighter he was going down to the truck to get air. The other fire fighter went with him. Seconds later, after they were off the roof, it collapsed.