Township of Langley firefighters raised money for charity by helping an ailing Christmas tree farm owner harvest his crop.

The owner, who would prefer to remain anonymous, got to know the firefighters when he developed heart problems that occasionally required them to make medical assist visits to his home.

When the grower underwent surgery for his heart problem, he realized he would be unable to harvest the 160 trees on his own.

That’s when he got in touch with the firefighters union, which operates the Township of Langley Firefighters’ Charities.

“It was kind of a last-minute thing,” said Township of Langley Fire Platoon Captain Doug Simpson, one of a small group of 18 off-duty Langley firefighters who showed up at the Otter-area farm on Dec. 8 armed with saws and axes.

“His intent always was to use the trees as an opportunity to donate to charity,”

The firefighters considered setting up a Christmas tree lot, but decided against it.

Instead, Krause Berry farms stepped in to take all the trees, and the challenge of selling them late in the season, and donated $2,000 to the charitable fund.

“Pretty good for a handful of guys for a few hours of work on a Friday,” Simpson said.

The tree farm owner, meanwhile, is reportedly making an excellent recovery from his operation.

“He’s quite well,” Simpson said

The Township of Langley Firefighters’ Charitable Society is a not-for-profit society registered in B.C. “in the interest of focusing the fundraising and benevolent activities of the Township of Langley’s Firefighters.”

The society has several projects, including a snack Program for local students with the School District #35 Foundation and Overwaitea Food Group, fundraising for the Langley Hospital Foundation, the B.C. Professional Firefighters Association Burn Fund and Muscular Dystrophy Canada.

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dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
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