On June 24 2008 my husband was driving along North Road on Gabriola at just after 10pm. His vehicle was pulling a trailer and in a quick moment his instincts had him swerve for a deer, sending the SUV into a tree and across the road (yes, you should never swerve for a deer). Frequently, the roads on Gabriola at this time of night are very quiet, he was lucky to have someone on the scene quickly who called 911.
The firefighters (many of whom are first responders) had just ended practice when they got the call, which allowed them to be on the scene within minutes. We also have the fortune of having Dr. Bosman live on the Island, he also was on the scene in a short time as were the local RCMP. The advanced life support team was sent from Nanaimo, and a request was put in for a helicopter evacuation. I heard the sirens from the rental we had while we renovated, and knew that I was about to receive a dreaded phone call. While they worked on stabilizing my husband for transport, other firefighters set up the Rollo/McClay ball field for a helicopter landing. During this time, the heli-vac team also had a call to respond to on Vancouver Island and for a time that call was going to have priority, 3 hours after the crash the heli-vac team had set my husband as priority, and he was being transported with the life support team to Victoria General Hospital. At the hospital his spleen ruptured and they lost his vital signs twice, after days in the Intensive Care Unit he was considered to be in stable condition.
With broken ribs, punctured lungs and a splenectomy he began his long road of recovery. We strongly feel, that had priorities on the helicopter not been changed and if he was transported on the harbor patrol vessel, he wouldn’t be here to parent his kids today. Even on a calm night, his spleen would surely have ruptured on that vessel.
We have the resources on the Island; our Paramedics, Doctors and First Responders have outstanding knowledge, but they need somewhere to treat patients.
If you have a minute, please take the time to vote for the
Gabriola Island Emergency Care Facility. You can vote daily, you only need to fill in your name and email address to register and we may just get $250,000 funding for this facility.
Voting for this round closes on Nov. 29, please ask anyone around you to take a minute to do this. (submitted by: Tina Lynch)
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The Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department organize a great fireworks display every year on Halloween. It's a great community event, to gather around a large bonfire and sip hot chocolate with lots of ghosts and goblins as you watch a fantastic display of fireworks. 
We have absolutely loved the tradition of going to the Gabriola Sands Provincial Park (the “twin beaches”) on Halloween to watch the Fireworks since Jennifer and I were about 4 years old. This is a great community event, where the kids can get some treats, the firefighters serve hot chocolate, there is a large bonfire (well under control), and a fantastic display of fireworks to delight the eyes. The Gabriola Volunteer Firefighters have been treating islanders to this event for over 30 years. It’s always been a strong family tradition for us to attend, and with youngsters in the family we will surely continue to attend for years to come. If you’re looking for Jen on Halloween, she’ll be “dressed up” in her firefighting gear helping out at the Fireworks.Saturday, October 31. Fireworks start at 7pm.
