Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear coveralls.
In order for the Lillooet Fire Department (LFD) trucks to be ready to go whenever the call of duty comes in, they need to be kept in tip-top shape for the safety of everyone involved. That’s where Dan Storkan comes in.
Storkan has spent the last 27 years with Dawson Road Maintenance as a mechanic and a supervisor, all while serving as a volunteer firefighter with LFD.
“It’s just my way of staying involved and giving back to my community,” said Storkan.
Storkan doesn’t need to run into burning buildings to be viewed as a hero. Instead, he performs annual Commercial Vehicle Inspections on each of the nine units. It’s a task he’s lent a hand with for the past 20 years.
“It just seemed to be a perfect fit with my mechanical background. I don’t mind doing it and I know the department is very appreciative of Dawson helping them out,” said Storkan.
He uses the Dawson shop in Lillooet after hours to perform his inspections, as the shop has maintained their private inspectors license for that very purpose. Each inspection takes roughly three hours.
Having Storkan complete the inspections saves the LFD money for other purposes, which has added up over the past two decades. Once they pass inspection, they have an official decal placed on the outside the passenger’s side window, clearing them for another year of heroics.