Remembering Al Cleaver
Today we lost a true Surrey Pioneer and former Surrey Fire Chief, Al Cleaver.
It is easy to say there will never be a Fire Chief who will accomplish as much as Al did, during his career and lifetime.
An advocate for all that is Surrey; Al never stopped putting Surrey first. He never stopped trying to “get things done”and even in his last few weeks, he was relentless in getting a meeting with Mayor Hepner so the Friends of the Museum could make sure their plans and ideas were addressed. I am glad and proud we were able to facilitate that meeting so the results of the meeting (read “the good news”) could be conveyed to Al.
I am thankful for the support Al gave me during the civic election and was proud to see him in one of those gold and black T-shirts.
One can only wish to achieve a portion of what Al accomplished in a lifetime.
Al, thanks for taking a chance and hiring me 32 years ago, I promise I won’t let you down!
Below is a part of a memo sent to the City, that outlined some of his achievements. What can’t be put in words is the enthusiasm he had for all of these endeavors.
• The retired Surrey Fire Chief, Al Cleaver created a culture of community service and volunteerism and since his retirement in 1986 he has lived this by example
• He is Past-President and member of the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association
• Chairman of the Surrey Heritage Advisory Committee
• Member of the 1999 Cultural Strategic Planning Task Force
• Founding member of the Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society
• Chairman and member of the Heritage Services Community Advisory Board
• Member of the Surrey Professional Pioneer Fire Fighters Association
• The Surrey Historical Society and the Surrey Tourism Association
• Through the Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society he helped to raise over a million dollars for the new Museum capital campaign
• He negotiated a Surrey Leader media sponsorship to promote new heritage programs and services
• He raised funds for a Museum Endowment Fund
• He launched a sponsorship program to raise funds to sponsor free admission to the Museum in 2011
• He has worked with the Heritage Commission to co-ordinate research and prepare a publication featuring 250 heritage buildings and sites in Surrey’s twenty-five original communities
• He assisted with the planning for the production of educational videos on Surrey’s built, natural and cultural heritage
• He has hosted Heritage Week bus tours
• He worked with members of the Fire Fighter’s Pioneer Society to raise $30,000 to fund a Fire Fighter’s history gallery for the Surrey Museum
• Long standing member of the Surrey Historical Society
• Active member at large for the Heritage Services, Community Advisory Board
New Year’s Wishes
Happy New Year!
There are many people who make resolutions to change their behaviour on January 1 each year and I wish all of you good luck with yours. As well, may all of you have a happy and healthy year that can be spent with family and friends.
This year, my resolution, will be to participate more in events that improve some of the lives those here in Surrey. This year and hopefully for the years to come, I will share the events that I will be attending and or supporting, to see if we can do more to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate, living in Surrey.
For those like myself who have real trees, come out to the 27th annual tree chip event at Newton Athletic Park January 3, 2015. Drop by, and have your tree chipped from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
On February 21, 2015 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the Semiahmoo Shopping Center, the second annual ‘Ignite A Dream’ event takes place. The event includes wine tasting, culinary delights and musical entertainment. Last year, at the inaugural event, $3000.00 scholarships were awarded to five Surrey students, who set examples on how to overcome adversity with hard work and dedication. This year let’s try to set the bar higher, and see can sell this event out, and be able to award a greater number of scholarships to Surrey students this year.
Here is a poster for the event, with the details, and how you can be involved: Dream Poster
Happy Holidays
The Holiday Season is now here, and the New Year is just around the corner. This is the time of year when we should set aside some time to celebrate and reflect on the past year with friends and family.
During this hectic time of year, we often try to fit too much in a short time span. Plan ahead; take it easy while you’re driving, so you get there and back, in one calm and relaxed piece.
Think about those who are less fortunate and contribute to those agencies that can make a difference. Think about what your goals will be for 2015 and how you will achieve them.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
I look forward to what is coming for Surrey in 2015!
Happy Holidays!
Surrey Mayor & Councillors’ Inauguration – Dec. 8th
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Disaster Planning
Emergency Preparedness.
We in Surrey, as a community, need to ensure everyone is prepared and able to survive on their own for the first 72 hours after a large-scale disaster, while we wait for our services to be restored. The Surrey Fire Services has a very comprehensive plan to deal with large-scale emergencies that include (but are not limited to) reconnaissance of the area surrounding the fire station locations to determine emergency activity, accessibility and communications. Triage is also an important part of a large-scale incident so the most critical items are addressed in priority. All of this takes time which means we need to have our neighbourhoods prepared for large-scale incidents today.
The Surrey Fire Service has been, and continues to be, the lead agency with regards to emergency preparedness. The Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program (NEPP) was developed by Surrey Fire Service members and the program is facilitated by our Surrey firefighters. The NEPP utilizes resources from Surrey community groups such as Search and Rescue, our Amateur Radio group and Emergency Social Services along with the Fire Department in the event of a disaster.
This program provides key information for people in a neighbourhood to comfortably survive in a disaster for at least 72 hours. The NEPP has been in place since 2001 and has trained over 22,000 people during this time. There is one week set aside in May of each year to promote Emergency Preparedness and displays are all over the City. The program is free to Surrey residents and the delivery can be customized to fit any group’s needs and will be delivered (dependent on size of group which can vary from 15 people to 150 people) between 45 minutes to 2 hours. For more information, please go to the City’s website at https://www.surrey.ca/city-services/698.aspx
Final Thanks
To the 40,000 plus people of Surrey who placed their trust in me, by voting for me yesterday, I thank you. To all the voters in Surrey who chose Linda Hepner as their Mayor, and to those same people for putting their trust in the entire Surrey First Team of Councillors, I thank you as well.
To those who did not vote for me, I hope over the next four years, to earn your confidence and help make Surrey a better place to live.
I would also like to thank the Surrey First Campaign Team who kept us moving forward with positive messages, positive ideas and providing a positive look at the future and what we can accomplish. Our team stayed on the high road and the public responded well to the positive things we have done and what we will do in the future.
I would also like to thank my personal team made up of neighbours, friends and family who surrounded me with non-stop words of encouragement and support during the past few months. They kept me moving forward with the goal to be in City Hall, and to be in a position to keep the City we live, work and play in, the best place to be in the world.
Thanks to the Fire Fighters of Surrey who were awesome during this campaign. They provided me with unwavering support by sharing what I stand for. They were critical to the Surrey First Team with the placement, maintenance and upkeep of all those signs. They also made those “gold and black” shirts, some of the most sought after goods in this campaign. More importantly, my Brothers and Sisters of the Surrey Fire Fighters’ Association, placed their trust in me that I will keep public safety and the needs of the citizens of Surrey at the forefront, no differently than I had done for the 32 years I served as a Surrey Fire Fighter.
Lastly, thanks to my family. I will never forget that dinner when I asked them what they thought about my possible endeavour. They had no hesitation and quickly came up with ideas on what they could do to help me and the Surrey First Team. I could not have survived this campaign if it were not for the love, compassion and support they gave me.
I look forward to taking a seat on council and moving the issues I talked about during my campaign, forward, and helping move the City forward over the next four years.
