Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I attended a retirement celebration to honour the 45 years of service by Gord Rolling and 32 years of service by Arnold Smith, more commonly known as Smitty. Both served with distinction and dedication as firefighters on the Mount Albert volunteer fire department.
In celebrating their retirement, it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the contribution of all of our firefighters, particularly the volunteers.
We are all thankful and grateful for the crucial service they provide our communities. However, we may not be fully aware of the hours taken away from families in fighting fires, assisting at accidents, on training courses and other community activities. Nor can any non-firefighter understand what it is like to respond to a call in the middle of the night knowing the potential risk.
We should all remember the extraordinary service these men and women provide our communities and be mindful of the sacrifices their families have made to support their good work.