INNISFAIL – Emergency responders gave a full salute to grocery workers and hospital workers last week with an unexpected morning parade of lights and sirens.
Shortly after 11 a.m. on April 5 employees in the grocery store at Co-op Mall witnessed the parade moving slowly across the parking lot with sirens wailing and lights flashing. Their frontline heroism in the battle against COVID-19 was being honoured by the town’s finest.
“It was just spur of the moment,” said Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk, who quickly organized the parade of lights and sirens that morning. He put out a request to police members at his detachment and then to local emergency response partners.
“It wasn’t very difficult to organize. They all jumped in. Everybody supported it. We just set a time.”
Within a few hours nine local RCMP police officers, including a member from Traffic Services, were joined by eight firefighters from the Innisfail Fire Department, along with Innisfail community peace officers, emergency rescue workers from Medavie Health Services and provincial sheriffs.
After the parade of more than 15 police cruisers, fire trucks and ambulances filed past the Co-op Mall, it went across Main Street to salute grocery store workers at No Frills.
“We wanted to do this because of the hard work done by the grocery store people and those in the hospitals. They are taking the brunt of the work,” said Matechuk. “They can’t social distance effectively or isolate. They have to work in tight quarters with lots of people, and if they aren’t there we don’t eat. If the hospital is not there our elderly gets sick and don’t get cared for.
“With everything that is going on their workload has increased exponentially,” he added. “We just wanted to give a shout out to them for all the work and effort they do during these trying times.”
After the No Frills visit the parade of lights and sirens went south on Hwy. 2A and then west on 42 Street to the Innisfail Medical Centre. The sounds and lights from the parade were quickly noticed by nearby residents and staff. Many pulled out their cellphones to take photographs and video.
“We are proud of what our grocery stores and health-care workers are doing,” said Gary Leith, chief of the Innisfail Fire Department. “The stores in Innisfail have done a tremendous job adapting, and keeping the community safe. I certainly recognize that from the protective services side of it.
“A number of my staff are already either paramedics as well as firefighters, and have family members who work at the hospitals,” added Leith. “It was good to blow off the horn for them.”
