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(Continued from page 2) close to 50 volunteers now responding to calls. Steve Williams, president of GRE, said a good fire service for a community the size of Six Nations is essential. "We need a good fire department. Even our own place ­ GRE itself - is a big place; about a million sq. feet. If we ever had a fire, all these other fire services (outside of Six Nations) would have to be there as well. It's just way too big for Six Nations (fire services). Williams said GRE was glad to be able to help. "We're very proud to be able to donate some money to this, to make this a reality on behalf of the community," said Williams. "We'll continue supporting the fire department like we always have. It's nice to see this has finally happened. I'm very proud that we were able to be a part of this." The fire chief expounded upon the importance of family in being a dedicated career firefighter, as well as the sacrifices and groundwork previous fire chiefs laid before him. Miller became fire chief last year. "One of the things I've learned over my 17-year career now is that family is paramount in everything that we do," said Miller. "Over the past year that I've been able to come home to Six Nations and even be a part of this project, having a caring and understanding wife (and children) and the extended family and our fire service family is important. Without those elements being part of it, it's very difficult to have a career in emergency services." He thanked all the people involved throughout the whole process. "This new headquarters is going to allow us to strengthen the foundation that was put in here by previous fire chiefs," he said. "This building is also going to allow us to grow and move forward with the professionalization of our department." There were bumps along the way, he acknowledged, but now, "Here we are in this beautiful building. The end result and the light at the end of the tunnel has brought this to fruition for us. This is an incredible building. It's going to allow us to provide a safer community." The service is also currently celebrating its 50th year of service to the community. Crowds toured the state-of­-the-art fire hall while kids posed with the fire department's mascot Sparky. The fire hall boasts a large bay, training room, four small bedrooms for recovering fire­fighters, a lounge, a full commercial-grade stainless steel kitchen, reception area, locker rooms, and private offices for the fire chief and deputy fire chiefs. Community member John Hill, who works with clients at Community Living, brought them to the grand opening ceremony because one of them wanted to ride the antique fire truck. He was told it wasn't working and now he wants to try and raise funds to restore the truck so his client can take it for a spin. Hill said he is thrilled the community finally has a new fire hall. "It's been a long time coming."