Fire department, Holy Cross Collegiate engage in friendly competition

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Fire Department is having a friendly competition with Holy Cross Collegiate to see who can raise more food for the Wheatland County Food Bank.

According to David Sturgeon, chief of Strathmore’s Fire Department, the team has been looking for new ways to connect with the community, give back, and engage other people in helping out. 

“I think through conversations in different loops, we connected with the Holy Cross Collegiate and they were willing to help out, so we decided to team up against each other and make it a little fun for the students and members of the department,” he said. “Everybody likes a good challenge so we thought it would spur everyone to try a little bit harder. We will see what comes out of it.”

Being a friendly competition, there is a prize for the winning team at stake. Should the school and the students win, they will be treated to a barbeque put on by the fire department.

If the firefighters raise more than the top-raising class within the school, students will be cleaning the department’s trucks. 

As far as Sturgeon was able to recall, this is the first time the fire department has engaged with local students in this fashion. 

“So far, it has been good. There has been some banter back and forth about who is going to win and we have been trying to muster up some help on our side, but I think they are a strong team to contend against,” said Sturgeon “They have got lots of resources in that school so we will see who comes out on top.”

Ultimately, he added there is no specific goal in mind regarding exactly how much the aim is to raise for the food bank, but ultimately the more the better. 

Collection started on Feb. 27 and is running until March 10. For those who want to send in their donations through the students, the school office will be open during regular hours to accept donations. 

The fire department has partnered with Strathmore RCMP to help with collections around the community. Collection bags have been dropped within several communities, and officers were posted at several locations, including grocery stores, during the competition to collect donations. 

Donations could also be dropped off at the fire hall or RCMP detachment directly during regular office hours.