Thanking first responders

Jun 17, 2020

In the aftermath to the arson and shootings in Parham on June 7th, community members in Parham are experiencing a range of emotions: relief that there were no serious injuries or death as the result of the incident, trauma over how the events unfolded and the violence of the outburst, and disbelief over the loss of two historic buildings which can never be replaced.

One more emotion has surfaced, a feeling of gratitude for the efforts and professionalism of the first responders, the OPP, Central and South Frontenac Fire Crews, and Frontenac Paramedics.

Jordan Lowery, who watched the evening unfold after he was shot, but luckily only bruised by being hit by bird shot from 100 metres, described what he saw from the responders.

“The OPP made sure everyone was safe and took on the dangerous task of searching for a dangerous, apparently unhinged individual. They were calm but very serious and careful the whole time.

“The paramedics were there as quickly as they could have been because of the roadblock, but they were excellent. They dealt with me, and with my neighbour Barb, who was hit in the leg and had more bruising than I did. We were lucky enough not to have to go to the hospital that night.

“And the fire crews who had to watch for a couple of hours as the church burned down, until the OPP found the rifle and could let them in, it was really hard on them to wait like that. And they were there all night, making sure nothing else caught fire.

“They all did really well. They took care of us in Parham.”

For Tina Hillocks, a relatively new member of the Sharbot Lake and District Lions Club who lives in Tichborne, hearing about what happened just down the road from her house triggered some trauma from her life that happened over 20 years ago.

“I felt I had to do something,” she said.

She contacted Ken Fisher, a volunteer with the caremongering Sharbot Lake initiative who has been a key organiser for the Father’s Day Rib dinner community meal this coming Sunday (June 21, Father’s Day).

A number of dinners had been purchased by community members as sponsored meals, to be given out to people who could use them. Hillocks went to Parham and talked to people who live on road 38, who are dealing with the aftermath of the fire and shootings.

“Some of those conversations took 45 minutes” she said, in a phone interview early this week.

Out of those conversations, she called Ken Fisher and asked him how many sponsored meals were available and he said 16.

“I told him I would take them for the people I had met in Parham.”

She then went to the OPP office in Sharbot Lake at shift change time to see if some of the officers would like a meal as a token of appreciation from the local community.

“They got back to me later and said they can’t accept any gifts.”

Undaunted she approached fire chief Jamie Riddell and asked if the fire crews would like a meal.

“It kind of choked him up that the community wanted to do this and he said he would get back to me. He did and said they would like that.

She also approached Frontenac Paramedic Services but has not heard back.

“Tina called me and asked how many more meals Seed to Sausage could prepare and I told her 60, that would make 500, food for 1,000 people, which is as much as they can make in the space they have available, but we had no more sponsored meals,” said Ken Fisher.

A quick call to the Lion’s was all Tina Hillocks needed to make.

“They held a meeting right away over the phone, and donated the money. I phoned Ken and said the money was coming and he said, ok.”

A ceremony of sorts is being planned for Sunday to mark the gesture of support for the firefighters.