On Tuesday, the last day of February, with snow on the ground and temperatures barely above freezing, some Township of Langley firefighters lit up a fire that provided some warmth, then deployed a fire hose to thoroughly soak a group of Langley RCMP officers at the fire department training facility in Murrayville.
It was part of a province-wide Polar Plunge for B.C. Special Olympics, running from Feb. 18 to March 4.
Moments before getting sprayed, officer Lisa Cormier announced the Langley RCMP team had surpassed their $500 goal.
“We’re close to $1,000,” Cormier said.
Then, the firefighters put them over that amount by donating $500.
The two firefighters who presented the cheque then joined the lineup of eight RCMP officers before the hose was turned on.
Afterwards, a well-soaked Cormier, who organized the event, called it a “great day for a polar plunge.”
Another dripping-wet officer, Phil Colter from the Aldergrove Community Police Office, described it as fun, despite the cold.
“Actually it’s not too bad,” Colter commented.
“We were going to jump in the river, but I think this is a little better,” Colter added.
Officer Julie Bion, before the soaking, referred to the traditional friendly rivalry between police and fire first responders.
“I think they’re [the firefighters] going to get quite a bit of enjoyment out of this,” Bion remarked.
Among the onlookers was Langley Township Councillor Tim Baillie a retired fire captain, who called it a “really cool cause.”
“As always, it’s wonderful when the firefighters hose down police,” Baillie grinned. “It’s just a lot of fun”
Baillie told the Langley Advance Times he had participated in a Polar Plunge a few days earlier – “in a kilt.”
The Polar Plunge campaign helps raise funds for Special Olympics BC and its many programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities including sport, youth and health programs which help empower participants, teach them life skills and have fun.
Donations to the Langley RCMP team can be made online at:
https://plunge4specialolympics.crowdchange.ca/27603/team/15365.
More photos from the day can be viewed online at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.
READ ALSO: Cst. Phil Colter the new Mountie in charge of Aldergrove’s Community Police Office
READ ALSO: Every Langley athlete won a medal at Special Olympics B.C. Winter Games in Kamloops
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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