Chestermere residents honoured first responders through the inaugural First Responders Day on May 1.
Residents were encouraged to share their experiences with first responders on social media and print off colouring pages and a thank-you note to post on their windows for First Responders Day.
“We are pleased that many Chestermere residents joined us in acknowledging and celebrating our first responders on May 1. As council, we felt it was very important to proclaim First Responders Day to recognize and thank the amazing men and women who serve our community and respond to our local emergencies any time of day or night,” said Mayor Marshall Chalmers.
“Due to COVID-19, it was a virtual-only acknowledgment this year, but we appreciate everyone who took time to write a note or post a comment of appreciation for our first responder teams,” he said.
On Dec. 15, City Councillor Ritesh Narayan brought forth a motion to create and implement a First Responders Day.
“We do appreciate the amazing work being done by our first responders. I feel that individuals see the uniform but not always the person behind it, by having this particular day to appreciate that, it also gives us a chance in the community to acknowledge that they are a person behind that uniform, and they do deal with very challenging situations, situations that we can’t even imagine,” he said.
Adding, “They do amazing work.”
Chestermere resident, Satish Lal and his family honoured local first responders by leaving flowers and a balloon for first responders.
“My dad is 86 years old; we have called them often, often enough to say they have supported us, and we thought it would be a good gesture,” Lal said.
For Lal, participating in First Responders Day was a way to thank local first responders for their efforts in being there for residents.
“People don’t realize how important they are until they have to be in a situation where they realize these services are for us. I realized it many times with my father being elderly, when he got sick and we had nobody else to call upon, these are the people who came and helped us,” Lal said.
Adding, “We should appreciate first responders on a daily basis, they keep us safe, they keep us healthy, happy, and they are there when we need them.”
