The Martensville Fire Department (MFD) and local RCMP will be hosting a Protective Service Gala on Saturday, October 21st at the North Ridge Centennial Community Centre. This event will feature a catered dinner and formal ceremony, a dance with live entertainment, a live auction, silent auction and more. This event is not just for those involved in Protective Services, but for absolutely anyone that is interested in attending. “We really want to emphasize that this event is open for everyone. We want to encourage people to come out and support the Protective Services and enjoy a great night out,” said MFD firefi ghter James Taylor. Tickets for the event are $45 each and attire is formal wear or protective service dress uniform. “All Protective Services that are attending will be wearing their dress uniforms, so as people attending, we ask that you dress to that level to show them respect,” MFD Emergency Measures Coordinator Tracy Wilson-Gerwing added. Protective Services including EMS, Fire, Police, Military, etc. from across the province have been invited to the gala, as an opportunity to honor them and show support for everything that these amazing people do to protect and save the lives of others. “We have attended other community’s events in the past, and we have now invited them to attend our event. It is all about supporting neighboring departments and communities because we all work together for mutual aid,” MFD Captain Bill Symons commented.
Although similar events were held in Martensville in the past, with the last one taking place in 2014, this year’s gala will be a completely new experience for all attending. “A group of us wanted to put it back on to honor the protective services in the community, and surrounding areas. It happened for many years, and then it was time to take a break from it, but now we thought we would bring it back and rejuvenate it,” Mike Anweiler, MFD Firefighter, explained. Although the concept of the evening will remain the same from previous years, the 2017 Protective Services Gala Planning Committee wanted to make this year’s event their own and have made several changes. One major change is the fact that there will be individuals and companies that have been hired to perform duties that were done by members of the MFD in the past. “Typically in the past, we have done all of the behind the scenes work to get it all set up and ready to go, and we man everything and make sure it’s all looked after, but we decided that it was time for us to be able to attend the event as guests. We wanted to freshen it up a little this year, and for people that attended in the past, they won’t see the same program. We have revamped the entire event,” Symons stated. The 574 “Dakota” Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron will be attending the event to
help out with coat check, ushering people to their seats, etc.
Money raised from the event will go towards the purchase of improved training equipment, which will in turn help the community in emergency situations. The Martensville Firefighters Association also provides a scholarship for one Grade 12 student graduating from Martensville that is going into the Protective Services.
The Protective Services Gala is a great way to show support to the local emergency responders that drop everything to respond to calls at any time of the day. Many people within Martensville and surrounding areas have these people to be thankful for when it comes to the wellbeing of themselves, their loved ones and their homes, so take this opportunity to thank them and honor all that they do to keep our community safe.
