Bev Peters remembered her father rushing out of the house to help people.
Shawn Peters, a Fenwick Volunteer Firefighters Association member, went to fires and accidents but also helped in community projects.
When her mother, Ruth Gare, needed help Bev Peters knew where to turn.
Gare had a stroke last January. In March she was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The muscle weakening condition has forced Gare to use a wheelchair.
No longer could she walk down the backstairs of her Regional Road 20 home to enjoy the backyard and fire pit.
She needed a ramp but could not to pay for it.
Bev Peters turned to her late father’s friends.
She wrote a letter to the Fenwick Volunteer Firefighters Association asking if it knew of anyone who could help.
Firefighter Jeff Dam said the association went to work to see what it could do for the family of a former member.
They talked to the town, contacted businesses and organized a work crew.
“We couldn’t have done it without help from local businesses who supplied the wood, concrete and other materials,” he said.
Fonthill Lumber and Trusses, the Pelham Group, Cotton Ready Mix and RVL Homes chipped in.
On Saturday, about a dozen Fenwick volunteer firefighters worked on the large three-part ramp zig-zagging from the deck down to the back yard.
“You’re only allowed so many degrees of incline so you have to make it long,” said Dam.
Skilled workers were available.
“In a volunteer fire department, you find many members who either work in construction or once did,” he said.
Gare had worked at Shoppers Drug Mart in the Seaway Mall for 27 years before she became ill.
She said, using a type-to- voice program on a tablet, she was grateful to the firefighters and delighted to see old friends among the work crew.
