On Monday, February 25, Perry Giles was laid to rest in the Tumbler Ridge Cemetery. Friends, family and Emergency Service Personnel from around the Peace gathered to remember him and comfort his family.
Giles passed away suddenly last week. At his funeral, Fire Chief Dustin Curry spoke his eulogy. Here are his words.
As the current Fire Chief of Perry Giles, it is my solemn duty to present his eulogy on behalf of the Tumbler Ridge Fire Department.
Firstly, I would like to offer my most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the late Perry Giles. He was truly one of a kind, second to none.
Firefighter Perry Giles, or just simply known as Perry to us, began his tenure with the Tumbler Ridge Fire Department on October 1, 2014. In the relatively short time that he was a part of our fire family, it was apparent from the very beginning that Firefighter Giles was made to be a firefighter.
He once told me that the reason why he became a firefighter was because he wanted to give back to the community that gave back so much to him in his time of need. In pursuit of this, he was devoted to this calling in many ways.
Often, he would plan his life events around what was going on at the fire hall. He’d tell his wife Katie, “Not that day, the fire hall is doing such and such.” Or something along those lines. That’s just the type of person Perry was. Devoted to helping. Devoted to staying in town just in case. Devoted to make himself better as a firefighter so that when the time came, he could get his task done as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Not to step on the toes of Pastor Ken, but I’d like to share a quote from scripture that I feel is unique to this situation. John chapter 15 verse 13 says “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Whether you knew Perry or not, at his core, he was a firefighter willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect you and your families if it was required.
During his time as a TRFD firefighter, Perry Giles amassed 675 hours of training during fire practices, however, this number does not include the countless hours Perry put in at home, sacrificing his personal time reading course materials for the upcoming tests or just so that he’d be prepared for the next weeks practice. He also amassed 197 hours of emergency service in 261 emergency responses to lend aid to the residents of community.
What is unquantifiable is the number of hours that Firefighter Perry Giles spent in non-emergency interaction with the community. Perry was the very definition of a community champion. Whenever I brought forward a topic or idea that included the department interacting with the public, I knew that Perry was in. Craft fair booths, speaking at various venues, fire hall tours, it didn’t matter to him. One of his favorite things, much to the delight of the other firefighters, was dressing up as Sparky for the classroom visits we do every year during Fire Prevention Week. He loved walking into to the room and watching all of the kids light up with joy. The hugs and the high-fives were icing on the cake for him.
Now not to make spite of dear Perry, but this dedication to always getting the job done was kind of a source of entertainment for many of us. His eagerness was admired by many, but it also landed him in a few awkward situations on occasion. As a man on a mission, Perry would often find himself entangled in his seatbelt as he attempted to climb off the fire truck with his air-pak on. While normal for this to happen to firefighters once or twice, Perry made this a bit more of a ritual for himself despite his best efforts not too.
Or there was the time that Perry hitch-hiked to a call after the fire truck had left only seconds ahead of him.
You see, Perry was a force. Once he had a task, nothing could deter him from seeing it through to the best of his ability. The trick was pointing that force in the right direction early, and if you failed to give him a task, Perry would fill in wherever necessary. That’s just how he was built. Always willing to fill a need, to do a task, no matter how big or small, to step up whenever needed.
A fierce advocate for mentoring those his junior, Firefighter Giles never hesitated to take new recruits under his wing and show them the ropes and he was equally just as fierce when recruiting new members to the job itself. Many of our current probationary members joined because it was Perry that spoke so highly of not only being a firefighter, but of being part of our fire department in particular. He loved being part of it, and wanted many more people to experience the same feeling.
There is a firefighter’s quote that I think sums up Perry quite fittingly. “Firefighters never die, they just burn forever in the hearts of the people whose lives they’ve saved”
Some of you may know that every year the Tumbler Ridge Fire Department holds an annual general meeting to celebrate our members and thank them for their service. In fact, this year’s AGM was scheduled to be held this past Friday but was postponed due to obvious reasons.
One of the main highlights of night is the presentation of the Firefighter of the Year award. This recipient of this award is ultimately decided on by the Fire Chief, however, I look for nominations from the rest of the department and this year, was no exception. Today, in front of all of his family, friends and colleagues, I am honoured to posthumously award Firefighter Perry Giles the 2018 Firefighter of the Year.
In closing, I’d like to share one final poem for Perry.
Dear lord, I know you are with me
Amid the smoke and flame,
Your strength will aid me in my task
When I ask in his name.
Sharpen my hearing and my sight
So that I may hear or see,
The slightest sound, the smallest sign
From those who wait for me.
And should it be part of your wise plan
My life to take away,
Stretch out and bless with thy mighty hand
Those whom I love, I pray.
Dustin Curry,
Fire Chief, Tumbler Ridge Fire Department
