It was the coming together of two different fire departments in the North Okanagan: on Friday, the Vernon and Okanagan Landing fire crews officially amalgamated. A station that had been the exclusive home for the Okanagan Landing volunteer firefighters will now house members of both the Vernon Fire and Rescue and the former Okanagan Landing crew. But the change has left an empty feeling for some, including the founding member and former chief of the Okanagan Landing volunteers. “It’s been a part of my life since I was a young fellow,” said Ed Forslund. “To come down here and feel like an outsider isn’t a pleasant feeling.” The crews had previously fought fires together like one at The Rise last summer. But now the Okanagan Landing volunteers will train and fight fires under the same banner: Vernon Fire and Rescue. “Everybody will know each other. Everybody will work together. Everybody will understand the command structure,” said Vernon Fire Chief Keith Green. He believes the integration will likely create a safer community. “I think when you work together and everybody’s not in two separate organizations, I think it’s going to be better.” Green says combining the crews will also cuts costs for taxpayers. “There’s a $60,000 dollar savings to our budget,” he said. However, the tax savings came with a high price: only half the Landing’s 26 volunteers signed on to continue with the unified crew. Many were reluctant to accept the changing times. “The camaraderie of a volunteer fire brigade is second to none,” said Forslund. Though it is the end of an era, the Landing volunteers say they will continue to exist as a not-for-profit group and will fundraise for the community that has supported them and that they’re represented for more than 35 years.
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