Семья Миттлтон пожертвовала 160 тысяч долларов на строительство нового штаба поисково-спасательной службы в Камлупсе

Middleton family donates $160K toward new Kamloops Search and Rescue facility KSAR given six-figure boost A $160,000 donation from the Middleton family will help build Kamloops Search and Rescue’s future Rayleigh headquarters and put the family patriarch’s name on its training room. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District and City of Kamloops are building a joint search and rescue headquarters and new fire hall at 4420 Devick Rd., with plans to break ground next spring. The total cost is expected to be $9.5 million. On Tuesday, city councillor Margot Middleton and her family joined about 60 people at the site to present KSAR with a cheque. The donation secures naming rights to the facility’s training room, which will be named for the late Tom Middleton, honouring his legacy of volunteering and training work as a firefighter with the Rayleigh-Heffley Creek hall. “He was a firm believer that every vehicle headed into the backcountry should have a shovel, a tow chain or a rope, but we all know that’s not the reality, so essential services like search and rescue are needed and why he took pride in volunteering for the fire department and leading by example,” said Stu Middleton, Tom's son. Margot Middleton told Castanet the training room is a fitting way to honour her late husband and what he stood for. “It's so great to be able to have what will be sort of a permanent memorial for him,” she said. The city and regional district will jointly own the Rayleigh facility and split construction costs based on use, with 75 per cent allocated to search and rescue and 25 per cent to fire hall operations. KSAR, meanwhile, intends to raise another $2.5 million. The $160,000 Middleton donation is one of the campaign’s first major contributions, with approximately $200,000 raised since last fall. KSAR president Paula Davies said the donation demonstrates that search and rescue’s work is appreciated and will help build a facility that will serve Kamloops for decades. Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc said the other side of the building, which will become the new home of Fire Hall No. 5, will provide a much-needed upgrade and additional space. He said the current location — a repurposed Tolko building — is essentially a garage with one small washroom, no potable water and bay doors that are slightly too small for modern fire trucks. More Kamloops News Kamloops Weather Tourism Kamloops Kamloops Transit Airport Arrivals Airport Departures School District 73 Kamloops Classifieds Kamloops Discussion Forum Thompson-Nicola Regional District Interior Health Thompson Rivers University Thompson Career College Thompson-Nicola Regional Library Kamloops Real Estate