The inaugural meeting of the Barriere First Responders Society was held on Feb. 11, 2014 at the Barriere Fire Hall. An election of officers took place with the following positions filled: President Drew McMartin, vice-president Rob Lennea, secretary/treasurer Al Kirkwood, and directors Jill Hayward and Al Fortin.
Drew McMartin reported he had secured a BC Ambulance unit from Richmond at no cost to the society, which is now painted and stored in the firehall. The unit will serve as transportation of equipment and first responders to medical emergencies. It will not be used to transport patients.
Kirkwood noted the first responder program is not set up in anyway to phase out BC Ambulance within the community. First responders are dispatched by BC Ambulance in response to 911 calls when ambulance personal may be on another call or temporarily out of the area. First responders attend until ambulance personal can arrive. The area covered by the first responders will be the same as Barriere Search and Rescue, which is more extensive than the Barriere Fire Department’s area. Funds to run the program within the community will be sourced through fundriasing and grant applications.