GICLEE PRINT ON PAPER. TITLED "THE BRIGADE - A TRADITION OF SERVICE".
IN THE TOP CENTRE: "LETHBRIDGE FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES - FIRE SINCE 1886 - EMS SINCE 1912", WITH THE LETTERING OF "LETHBRIDGE" BEING YELLOW AND BLUE, WITH IMAGES OF THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE; "FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES" IS IN RED; AND THE "FIRE SINCE 1886" AND "EMS SINCE 1912" IN BROWN.
THICK WHITE PAPER. VARIOUS FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES SCENES. STARTING TOP RIGHT, WORKING CLOCKWISE AROUND TO THE LEFT, COVERING SEVEN SCENES:
TWO PARAMEDICS WORKING ON A PATIENT IN THE BACK OF AN AMBULANCE, IN FULL COLOUR;
TWO FIREMEN WORKING ON A GRASS FIRE, WITH HOUSES IN THE BACKGROUND, IN FULL COLOUR;
TWO MEN IN UNIFORM, STANDING IN FRONT OF THE "AMBULANCE GALT HOPSITAL", DATED 1917, IN BROWN;
"FIRE HALL NO. 1, 1920" WITH THREE FIRE TRUCKS UNDER THE ARCHES OF THE FIRE HALL, SEVERAL FIREMEN STANDING NEAR THE TRUCKS, IN BROWN;
THREE FIREMEN IN A FIRE TRUCK, WITH A FOURTH STANDING IN FRONT, DATED "CIRCA 1930", IN BROWN;
BACK OF A FIREMEN, HAULING A HOSE TO A HOSE FIRE, WITH A RED "FIRE EMS" CREST BESIDE, IN FULL COLOUR;
FIREMEN HONOUR GUARD, FULL DRESS UNIFORM, WITH TWO FLAGS, IN FULL COLOUR.
IN THE CENTRE OF THE IMAGE, WORKING DOWN, THERE ARE THREE MORE SCENES:
THE MODERN "FIRE HEADQUARTERS STATION 1" AT 4 AVE, IN FULL COLOUR;
A RED FIRE TRUCK ON THE LEFT AND A WHITE AND RED FIRE/EMS AMBULANCE, IN FULL COLOUR;
AND FINALLY TWO FIREMEN IN FULL FACE MASKS, IN FULL COLOUR.
SIGNED BY THE ARTIST IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER: "LEON KEEPING 2012". BOTTOM LEFT CORNER "54/300" TO INDICATE THE PRINT NUMBER.
THIS GICLEE WAS CREATED BY LEON KEEPING ON JUNE 11, 2012 AND IS EDITION NUMBER 54 OF AN EDITION SIZE OF 300. ACCORDING TO A DOCUMENT, CREATED BY DANA TERRY, DEPUTY CHIEF – FIRE AND EMS OPERATIONS, LETHBRIDGE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES IN JUNE 2012, IT WAS CREATED TO CELEBRATE THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT’S “ROLE AS AN INTEGRATED EMS SERVICE AND ALSO MARKS THE DEPARTMENT’S 126TH YEAR PROVIDING FIRE SUPPRESSION.” THIS DOCUMENT HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT, EXPLAINING THAT “IN 1886 [AS] THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE BRIGADE (LATER CHANGED TO ‘DEPARTMENT’ IN 1914) [BEGAN] TO OPERATE AS A VOLUNTEER ‘BUCKET BRIGADE’. IN 1909 IT BECAUSE A FULL TIME FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH TEN MEMBERS; SEVEN FIREFIGHTERS, A LIEUTENANT, A CAPTAIN, AND THE CHIEF.” THE DOCUMENT ALSO SPELLS OUT THE CREATION OF AMBULANCE SERVICES IN LETHBRIDGE: “PRIOR TO 1912 THE GALT HOSPITAL PROVIDED AMBULANCE SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY OF LETHBRIDGE. THE OPERATION OF THE AMBULANCE SERVICE BECAME A COMMUNITY CONCERN DUE TO EXTENDED RESPONSE TIMES BECAUSE OF THE NEED OF A DOCTOR’S CERTIFICATE TO TRANSPORT A PATIENT. THE DEATH OF JOE BIRNEY IN 1910 AT ELLISON MILLING COMPANY BROUGHT THIS TO A HEAD AND ON JUNE 22, 1912 CITY LEADERS DECIDED TO PASS THE AMBULANCE SERVICE TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT WAS THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE RELIABLE AND TIMELY RESPONSE.”
SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND THE CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.