Frozen Flame, A History of the Prince George Fire Department, is a 120-page book that will make its debut on Canada Day at The Exploration Place.
There are only 200 copies available so it's going to be a rare treasure for those history buffs that want a glimpse into the 100-year history of the Prince George firefighters and the fires they battled.
The launch of the book coincides with the opening of a three-month Exploration Place exhibit of artifacts that will showcase the fire department's history.
"We're calling out to the public for assistance," said firefighter Trent Blair. "If they can lend us any material that is fire related like old turnout gear, old fire helmets, station uniforms, fire extinguishers or anything else they might have to add to the display, we would really appreciate it."
It will be a temporary loan and donators will get their items back after the three-month exhibit has been concluded in early October, he added.
It's taken almost two years to put the information together for publication and will soon be on its way to Friesen Press in Edmonton.
It took five people to collate the pictorial coffee-table book. On the Prince George Fire Department Historical Committee are three firefighters, Justin Rivard, Aaron Brouwer, and Blair, along with a researcher, UNBC student Heather Engelland and retired firefighter Dennis Weyman's daughter, Erin.
"Heather put in countless hours searching for material from UNBC, the Prince George Library, Exploration Place, the Prince George Citizen and minutes from City Hall papers, etc., etc," said Blair. "She's gathered all this information to put this book together about the Prince George Fire Department."
The three firefighters spent their time contacting past members of the department to get a sense of what was important from their perspective so the committee could be sure to include it in the memoir, Blair added.
"We wanted to make sure we gathered this information about the last 100 years of the fire department before it all got lost," said Blair. "We discovered through our research that there was three different fire departments that amalgamated to become the Prince George Fire Rescue Service we have today."
The Prince George Community Foundation and the City of Prince George 100th anniversary grant program provided funding to help with the project.
To make sure people get a copy of the fire department's history book, Blair recommends getting in on the pre-sales, which are available to the public until Monday, April 20 by emailing [email protected]. The book costs $40, including taxes.
