Cultus Lake Fire Department
75 sunnyside blvd V2R 5N4 Chilliwack, BC, Canada

21 years later, remembering the Worcester 6. They lost their lives doing their job on this day 21 years ago. TheWorcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fireb...egan on December 3, 1999, in a 93-year-old abandoned building at 266 Franklin Street,Worcester, Massachusetts. The fire was started accidentally some time between 4:305:45pm by two homeless people who weresquattingin the building and had knocked over a candle.They left the scene without reporting the fire. The 6-story building, previously used as a meat cold storage facility, had no windows above the ground floor and no fire detection or suppression systems. Firefighters were unfamiliar with the layout of the building, and most of the floors inside each up to 15,000 square feet were divided into a labyrinth of connecting meat lockers. The walls and many ceilings were covered with insulating layers of cork, tar,expanded polystyrene foam, and spray-applicatedpolyurethanefoam.There were no fire walls or fire doors, and only a single staircase extended from the basement to the roof. The owner of a neighboring business informed a police officer at the scene that a homeless couple had been squatting in the building and firefighters initiated a search, believing they could still be trapped inside.Conditions inside the building deteriorated rapidly. Worcester Fire Department District Chief Michael McNamee said: "There was a light smoke condition in the upper levels of the building to the point we didn't even have our face pieces on. Within four seconds it went from that condition to the building being filled completely with black, hot, boiling smoke.The layout of the building and the absence of windows left firefighters without a secondary escape route and prevented ladder and rescue operations. Six firefighters were still unaccounted for in the building when the interior floors collapsed to the second story level. That cold day on Dec. 3, 1999, we lost the lives of six brave men: Lt. Thomas Spencer, Lt. Timothy Jackson Sr., Lt. James Lyons III, and firefighters Jeremiah Lucey, Paul Brotherton and Joseph McGuirk. Rest In Peace Brothers.

Cultus Lake Fire Department knows DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HAS NO PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY! #chilliwacktogether #sharechilliwack

When fire strikes, you have only minutes to react, make sure you have a plan in place before an emergency happens. Visit www.fortstjohn.ca//fire-depart/fire-prevention-safety.html for more fire prevention and safety tips.

On this day... 19 years ago 246 people went to sleep in preparation for their morning flights. 2,606 people went to sleep in preparation for work in the morning.... 343 firefighters went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift. 60 police officers went to sleep in preparation for morning patrol. 8 paramedics went to sleep in preparation for the morning shift. None of them saw past 10:00am Sept 11, 2001. In one single moment life may never be the same. As you live and enjoy the breaths you take today and tonight before you go to sleep in preparation for your life tomorrow, kiss the ones you love, snuggle a little tighter, and never take one second of your life for granted. #wewillneverforget ~ from Historic Pics See more

Want to help make a difference? Please see the attached link below regarding the Fire Departments fundraiser to purchase a rescue boat. Any contributions would be appreciated!

Important Parking information from Area H Rep Taryn Dixon There are new traffic management systems happening at Cultus Lake this weekend. People have been expre...ssing their concern over the parking along the roadsides and their concerns with safety of the road for all who use it. This week a planning team involving RCMP, MOTI ( highways), FVRD, CLPB and City of Chilliwack got together and came up with a first step plan. Today Emil Anderson crews placed hundreds of cones all along Columbia Valley Highway in the no parking zones. This is a really visible sign that something different is going on this weekend. There will be additional RCMP officers enforcing and a Tow Lot has been designated should any vehicles need to be towed. There are also several message boards at strategic locations throughout Chilliwack, Yarrow and at No 3 Road. We know visitors want to come up and enjoy the lake and we welcome them. Safety is an important thing and I believe these measures will help everyone to respect and enjoy the lake. I am thankful our voices were heard and grateful for the response from the groups above. This weekend is a learning weekend. After it’s over the stakeholders will meet again and begin long term planning . See more