||| FROM HILARY CANTY |||
It is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation from Orcas Fire and Rescue, through which I have had the pleasure to serve this community as a volunteer EMT for the past 22 years. I had hoped to have a couple of new recruits in place before retiring, but under the current paid administrative leadership at the department, this is no longer a viable option.
To the hundreds of people who I have helped on hundreds of calls: thank you. Helping you was life affirming for me. Remember to breath deep and slow if you ever need to call 911 again. It always helps to calm you and the situation down.
To the many volunteers and medics with whom I have had the pleasure to have responded with: you are an inspiring and amazing team….especially my Eastside crew! I will miss our time together and hope you all stay safe.
To the paid administration and the elected commissioners of the department: your actions and abilities are jeopardizing the department. It has taken years of poor decision making and terrible hiring decisions to diminish the department to this point. You appear intent on continuing on this path as witnessed by the recent hiring of the assistant chief, who by many accounts was the weaker candidate.
When volunteers and staff serve in fear of retaliation and intimidation, when they no longer trust the paid administrative and elected leadership, the culture is broken and it has the potential to impact response. The price to serve as a volunteer EMT or Firefighter should never include tolerating spiteful management and vindictive behavior and yet that is where OIFR is today.
To the Community: the work of OIFR is critical to the health and wellbeing of all who are fortunate to call Orcas home and to the hundreds of thousands who visit each year. In order to sustain this effort, we need to pay attention to the BOFC meetings and their actions, we need to support and elect good candidates to the Board of Fire Commissioners, and we need folks to step up as volunteers.
I have truly loved my service and will miss (most of) it a great deal. I look forward to finding another avenue to continue to support this community that I love.
Stay well.
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Hilary:
Thank you for your service as a volunteer over these many years.
All the best,
Joseph Cohen
Thank you, Hilary, for your 22 years as a volunteer to OIFR and for your courage in speaking out about what you have witnessed and experienced firsthand. Again, I hope that the Orcas community who relies on the incredible work done by OIFR starts to ask questions and truly get engaged in fixing the underlying problems. Things are broken, and this is when we all have a responsibility as engaged citizens and as a community to lean in and start asking some serious questions and demanding change.
While I am not aware of the inner workings of OIFR that have precipitated Hilary Canty’s resignation, knowing her as I have for many years, her action signals that something there is very wrong. there And I’m afraid that Chief Williams’s letter has done nothing to allay my concerns.
Someone–I’m unsure who–needs to come forward to explain to the rest of us in this community just how things have gotten so bad as to lose a dedicated, skilled and compassionate volunteer of some 22 years.
Hilary,
You are the sole reason I chose to sign up with OIFR in 2009. You’ve inspired many to serve throughout the years. I am an RN now because of our conversation at a Doe Bay potluck. Patrick, yourself, and many other inspiring beings are why I am here today. It is with grateful, heavy heart that I bid you a sad farewell. You will always be my #1 EMT. Love you.
I’ve always gotten the impression that the Commissioners operate with none of the “sunshine” required by our modern government. It seems to be time for some fresh blood and fresh air. I cannot be more grateful to and respectful of our firefighters and EMTs, and the committed volunteers like Hilary. They deserve better.
Hilary,
You are the sole reason I chose to sign up with OIFR in 2009. You’ve inspired many to serve throughout the years. I am an RN now because of our conversation at a Doe Bay potluck. Patrick, yourself, and many other inspiring beings are why I am here today. It is with grateful, heavy heart that I bid you a sad farewell. You will always be my #1 EMT. Love you.
Hillary, thank you for not only your incredible commitment to OIFR but for a voice. We, the community don’t understand the issues, which seem daunting evidently.. But can only hope whatever needs to happen to get things on track happen sooner than later.
To others serving in the ranks, stay strong and unite in the calm of good Character.. That is always what brings us thru the challenges we face daily.
May the strength, courage and most importantly, Grace fill your harts knowing you are fighting the good fight. Being there, ready and able to answer your neighbors call.
Bless you all.
Again, Hillary.. thank you for your service and may your future contributions bring pease.
“Spiteful management and vindictive behavior” has been the order of the day at OIFD since Chief Harris left.
Don’t dare speak up. Don’t dare think for a minute that the “brotherhood” will come to your aid.
When I joined OIFD in 1996 one of the long time members took me aside and said “sooner or later, when you have nothing left but skin and bones, the department will abandon you.” 17 years later that comment proved to be true.
Welcome to the club.
Hillary; so sorry to read this. It took a lot of courage to write this letter. It’s never easy to be in a role as a whistleblower, but it is essential that people speak out without fear of retaliation.Things must be pretty bad for you to have written this and made a decision to leave the department that you love.
I hope this will wake up the community to get involved and ask questions and not abandon the people who have been here for us through thick and thin and risk their lives for us; they need us now.
I’m sure you will find the next thing to plug into. (I have a few ideas! :) )Thank you for all your years serving the community in this way. It must be heart rending to leave this wonderful community of firefighters, EMTs, and the many volunteers who unselfishly give to this community.
There is apparently a big wound and rift in the Dept; apparently it’s still unaddressed. The first step is always exposure of the problem. Change is hard but necessary when morale is at rock bottom. I hope that together we can help heal this rift. It’s going to take visionary commitment and hard work to heal this, and we owe it to our Department and our volunteers to put in the effort to try to understand and get informed.
Thank you for your service Hillary. I can only hope that the amazingly loud voter mandate of the recent election will be respected and heard by the current Commissioners. Democracy.
Thank you Hilary for all you do! You are one of the best! Kind, compassionate, caring and knows her stuff! A true loss for the community and OIFR!
I echo Sadie’s comments about your bravery. Without your courage and the courage of others, the deep-seated problems would remain festering below the surface. I add to the chorus of comments in gratitude for your service.
Thank you for your service, Hillary, and for speaking out.
Dear Hilary,
Four years ago, you were a first responder at our place in Olga; my sister had passed suddenly during the night.
You arrived quickly after my husband called 911.
Your calm strength and gentle words were a kindness beyond measure.
Thank you for your care and selfless service. You are a gift to our island community.
Leslie
Thank you so much for your service Hilary, and thank you for speaking out!