The Pemberton Meadows Fire Association (PMFA) is an all-volunteer fire association established in 2017 to provide essential fire protection to the rural agricultural community of Upper Pemberton Meadows. Operating as a “satellite hall” for Pemberton Fire Rescue (PFR), the PMFA’s core mandate is to be the first on scene – often 15 to 20 minutes ahead of PFR – to apply water and to source and shuttle water once PFR arrives. This shuttling role is critical because the community lacks fire hydrants, forcing reliance on local sources like ponds, sloughs, and farm pumps, with local firefighters’ intimate knowledge of these sources being crucial.

The awarded funds from 100 Women Whistler will be used to purchase enclosed metal gear lockers to address a critical safety issue caused by a rat population in their current facility; an old, uninsulated potato barn. This prevents the safe storage of essential gear at the hall, forcing volunteer firefighters to keep their contaminated equipment in their homes and vehicles. This practice is dangerous because it exposes their families to cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) and creates delays in emergency response times as members must retrieve their gear before responding to the hall. Purchasing the requested rodent-proof lockers will directly mitigate these health risks and improve the overall efficiency of their response.