Saturday April 29, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated May 2, 2023]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Family, friends, firefighters and the former local MLA spoke at the memorial and altogether filled hundreds of seats at the memorial for the late Langford Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Lance Caven today.
Held in the gym at Belmont Secondary School, the one-hour-40-minute program was a mix that seemed to suit everyone … upbeat and fun together with firefighter themes and the emotional memories told by those who knew him well.
The speaker’s lineup included John Horgan — there not as the former Premier but as a former next-door neighbour in the older part of Langford, whose polished speaking style was a good pivot point between the stories of friends and colleagues and the more emotional remarks by Caven’s mother.
Caven’s mother Diana Ball was accompanied at the podium by Lance’s brother Reese. “Most of all, I’m going to miss your squishy hugs,” said mother to late son.
In the VIP section was Langford’s former long-time mayor Stew Young and some of the previous council including Denise Blackwell, Matt Sahlstrom, Lanny Seaton and Norma Stewart, as well as Lillian Szpak (who is also on the new council, and as the long-time Protective Services Committee chair would have worked closely with Caven).
Delivering a speech on the behalf of the City of Langford was Mayor Scott Goodmanson who offered his retelling of knowing Lance as a buddy in their early working years in retail, in the early days of Lance’s volunteering with the Langford Fire Department. Goodmanson said that Caven’s work buddies would cover for him as he took off to respond to a pager call about a fire, like it was the most natural thing to do.
And believe that, for as Lance’s mother said, as a three-year-old her younger son asked for a tricycle trade-in so that the trike for the tyke was red, not green, saying even then that he wanted to be a firefighter.
In telling of the raucous firefighters sharing bathrooms and hard times, former Langford Fire Chief Bob Beckett imparted some memories for the fire crew peers in the room, and as emcee for the event tried to leave some type of understanding for Caven’s 10-year-old daughter about what her dad was like on the job.
On the job Caven was evidently as fun-loving and very much the prankster when doing the hard work of firefighting and fire prevention education as he was with friends. For most who attended today, the lasting impression of the memorial was that this was simply a nice guy who injected humour into everything. It was Caven’s way, no doubt, of connecting people mostly with themselves though that approach which also ended up connecting a broad swath of the community.
Joining Goodmanson from Langford council were Kimberley Guiry, Colby Harder, and Mary Wagner. Langford staffers included Director of Finance Mike Dillabaugh, Director of Planning Matthew Baldwin, Senior Manager of Business Development and Events Donna Petrie, and Marketing and Communications Coordinator Caroline Smith.
Also in the audience was Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, honouring the contribution of a firefighter to his community, especially as Lance had died of work-related injury (exposure to toxic chemicals).
Farnworth told Island Social Trends that normally Horgan would have been the Province’s representative as the local MLA. But Langford-Juan de Fuca is presently without an MLA since Horgan’s retirement from his MLA seat last month (by-election date likely to be announced by the Premier soon).
Firefighters were there from Langford Fire, Colwood Fire, Sooke Fire, and other fire departments, including Fire Chief Paul Hurst from View Royal. Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi also attended.
Langford Fire Rescue Chief Chris Aubrey explained in his remarks at the podium how he and Assistant Chief Lance Caven would really pair their actions and responsibilities in many areas of service. They were best buds through all they had done together, said Aubrey.
Attending in the audience from Sooke School District 62 (SD62) were trustees Ravi Parmar and Amanda Dowhy; Dowhy is presently SD62 acting chair as Parmar busies himself with running to fill Horgan’s shoes as MLA. Some former SD62 trustees were also there today including Wendy Hobbs and Dianna Seaton.
Absent from today’s event was Beecher Bay Chief Russ Chipps (who is also now an SD62 trustee) as well as Brother Rick Peter who was to give an Indigenous prayer and blessing. That task fell to Charla Huber of Scia’new First Nation.
There was the sound of bagpipes, the last call, and a minute of silence. Amazing grace it was there today… powerfully engaging and uplifting, including a photo slide show set to memorable modern songs that Lance had liked, including Patio Lanterns (Kim Mitchell, 1986), My Hero (Foo Fighters, 1997) and See You Again (Charlie Puth, 2015).
Afterward there were refreshments in the school lobby and time for friends and firefighters to chat.
Before all that there was a procession of firefighters and fire trucks that arrived up to the front door of the large high school. The weather was perfect — well over 22°C by mid-afternoon, with sunshine and only the lightest of breezes.
The memorial was overall gently but powerful uplifting for the several hours that all of this took of people’s day. As people do, each person will remember different moments of the speeches, some of the slide show photos or lyrics, and their conversations with people there.
But perhaps one of the most indelible sketches of memory may well be how Assistant Chief Lance Caven rode at the right hand side of St Nicholas (aka Santa Claus) on the firetruck as firefighters did they food-drive rounds on Christmas Eve around Langford. That’s how former neighbour John Horgan told it. How good is that.
“We will not see him go down the road again,” said Horgan. “But all of the people in this room and in this community are better because of the contributions and the selfless sacrifices of a man born to serve, without any regard for his own personal safety.”
The fact that Caven died of work-related exposure to toxic chemicals — juxtaposed with his humourous but insightful approach to everything — was reminder enough that each of us is “here for a good time, not a long time”. Living each day to the best of one’s ability is worth the effort, if the range of people touched by Caven’s presence — brief or longer — is any indication.
Departing first at the end of the formal part of the event was Caven’s family… at least 60-people strong. The rest followed.
Background:
On March 20, 2023 at age 50, Lance Caven passed away from cancer related to chemical exposure in firefighting, surrounded by family. He had been the Langford Fire Department‘s Fire Prevention Officer and Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention.
In his career — more like his calling — he did fire investigations, fire inspections, and public education. Most of his job took him out into the community, interacting with the public and businesses. He got to know a lot of people.
Flags have been at half-staff since March 20. They will be run back of the flag pole later this weekend.
“Safety never takes a holiday” was a phrase AC Caven was known for saying. During the memorial period on Saturday April 29, other fire services (Sidney, North Saanich and Central Saanich Fire Departments) ensured that fire rescue services are uninterrupted as Langford members attend Assistant Chief Caven’s service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to the BC Cancer Foundation or the Goldstream Food Bank.
Previous articles & remarks:
- Public memorial for firefighter Lance Caven coming up April 29 (Apr 26, 2023)
- Public memorial coming up April 29 for firefighter Lance Caven (Apr 21, 2023)
- Langford Fire Rescue Assistant Chief being remembered (Mar 20, 2023)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends (at IslandSocialTrends.ca) has been publishing the news of Langford and the west shore since 2014 (and before that about Sooke from 2008); the publication was formerly a weekly print publication called West Shore Voice News.
Editor Mary P Brooke now reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery and still actively covers the highlights of local west shore news as well as south Vancouver Island and BC news.
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